Kenya — Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has declined to sign the county’s Sh17.8 billion 2026/27 budget, accusing Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) of making unlawful changes that could disrupt essential services.
Ndeti on Monday returned the Machakos County Appropriation Bill, 2026 to the County Assembly for reconsideration, setting the stage for another confrontation between the county executive and legislators.
The governor said her administration’s review of the Bill passed by MCAs on August 18 found alterations amounting to Sh853.96 million.
According to Ndeti, the Executive had submitted a balanced budget aligned with the 2026 County Fiscal Strategy Paper (CFSP), but the Assembly made significant changes to various allocations.
MCAs Cut Funding for Key Programmes
Among the disputed changes was a reduction in funding for the Wikwatyo Fund and women and youth empowerment programmes from Sh274 million to Sh74 million.
The Assembly also cut Sh30 million from bursaries and reduced allocations for several road projects that are already under contract.
“I cannot in good conscience sign into law a legislation that openly violates statutory limits, dismantles essential public services and directly imperils the lives of our people,” Ndeti said.
The governor cited Regulation 37(1) of the Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulations, 2015, which she said restricts county assemblies from increasing or reducing a vote ceiling by more than one per cent.
Ndeti also accused the Assembly of increasing its own development budget by Sh130 million beyond the ceiling contained in the CFSP, allegedly contrary to the Public Finance Management Act.
Governor Raises Health and Revenue Concerns
Ndeti warned that cuts to garbage collection could expose residents to diseases such as cholera and typhoid, particularly in fast-growing urban areas including Mlolongo, Athi River and Machakos Town.
She also criticised the reduction of funding for the Revenue Management System, saying the platform had helped increase the county’s own-source revenue from Sh1.55 billion in 2023/24 to Sh3.35 billion in 2025/26.
According to the governor, weakening the system could jeopardise the county’s target of collecting Sh4.93 billion in own-source revenue during the 2026/27 financial year.
She further warned that reducing allocations for road projects already under contract could expose the county to breach-of-contract claims and costly litigation.
Ndeti described the cuts to youth programmes, empowerment initiatives and bursaries as “a direct assault on the youth.”
Assembly Faces Two-Thirds Majority Test
The governor has formally referred the Bill back to the Assembly under Section 24(2)(b) of the County Governments Act, requiring MCAs to reconsider the disputed provisions.
Should the legislators reject her recommendations and attempt to pass the budget in its current form, they would require a two-thirds majority.
Ndeti warned that MCAs who proceed without addressing the issues she has raised could be held personally responsible for losses or unlawful expenditure arising from the disputed budget.
The standoff now sets the stage for a high-stakes confrontation between the Machakos County Executive and County Assembly, with billions of shillings in public spending hanging in the balance.
