Kilifi, Nairobi lead as six counties spend over Sh25b on development

City Hall Annexe Building which the County under Governor Sakaja had itself converted to Nairobi County Customer Service Centre on Monday, August, 02, 2023. [FILE,Standard]. Kilifi County has emerged as the biggest spender on development programmes in the financial year 2024/2025, channeling Sh6.71 billion into infrastructure and service delivery, according to the latest Controller of Budget (CoB) report. The review shows that Kilifi outpaced other regions in actual development expenditure, followed by Turkana (Sh4.29 billion), Nairobi (Sh4.09 billion), Mandera (Sh.4.07 billion), Narok (Sh3.96 billion), Nakuru (Sh3.94 billion), and Kitui (Sh3.28 billion). Collectively, these counties accounted for a significant share of the Sh123.7 billion spent on development nationally. Nairobi's allocation of more than Sh4 billion underscored its effort to balance service-related recurrent costs with capital projects, while Turkana, Mandera, Narok, Nakuru and Kitui maintained steady focus on infrastructure and social amenities. In Nairobi, for example, Governor Sakaja spent Sh4.09 billion on development programmes in the 2024/25 financial year, up from Sh2.72 billion in 2023/24 - representing a 50.6 per cent increase according to COB annual budget implementation report. This allocation, equivalent to 30.3 per cent of the counties' absorption rate, marks the highest dedicated funding to development in focus in infrastructure and service delivery. The spending covered a wide range of projects, with Ward Development Programmes across all 85 wards receiving the largest share at Sh1.95 billion, underscoring Governor Sakaja Johnson's commitment to equitable grassroots growth. By June 30, 2025, nearly Sh834 million had already been absorbed in ward-level initiatives ranging from roads and water access to social amenities. Urban renewal and infrastructure also featured prominently. Slum upgrading under the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP II) received Sh366 million for roads, drainage and tenure security. City Hall further invested Sh263 million in trucks and equipment, more than Sh500 million in road maintenance and street lighting upgrades, and Sh118 million in the digitalization of County Assembly services. To boost trade and livelihoods, the county spent Sh111 million towards completion of Mutuini Market project in Dagoretti South. Routine road maintenance and select road construction consumed close to half a billion shillings, recording 100 per cent completion by June 2025. Despite being a service-oriented county, most of Nairobi's equitable share is directed towards personnel costs and essential operations such as school feeding, public lighting, solid waste management, bursaries scholarships and staff-related insurance obligations. Governor Sakaja noted that, at first glance, Nairobi's 12 per cent development spending may appear modest. However, with a total budget of about Sh43 billion, this translates to over Sh4 billion directed towards development the third highest ranked by COB," adding; "Remember, we are a service-driven county. The entire portion of the equitable share is channelled to personnel, recurrent operations and essential services such as the school feeding programme, public lighting, solid waste management, personnel-related insurance costs, bursaries, and scholarships. The county relies heavily on own-source revenue to finance both development and operational expenses," he reiterated. During the reporting period, county governments collectively generated Sh67.30 billion from own-source revenue (OSR), representing 77 per cent of the annual target of Sh87.67 billion.

Kilifi, Nairobi lead as six counties spend over Sh25b on development

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Kilifi, Nairobi lead as six counties spend over Sh25b on development

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