On Monday, December 8, 2025 -Kitui Governor Dr. Julius Malombe convened a high-level briefing session with County Administrators ahead of the upcoming countywide public participation forums for the FY2025/2026 Community Level Infrastructure Development Programme (CLIDP) and the Sand Dams Programme. The meeting, held at KEFRI in Kitui town, sought to prepare field administrators to effectively guide citizens during the two-day exercise scheduled for later this week.
In his address, Governor Malombe underscored the pivotal role administrators play in mobilizing, informing, and coordinating community engagement across the county’s 40 wards and 247 villages. He emphasized that public participation remains a cornerstone of his administration’s development agenda, allowing residents to directly shape and prioritize projects that respond to their most pressing needs.
The Governor highlighted significant development strides achieved since his administration took office in August 2022. He revealed that a total of 2,244 projects have been implemented across the 16 sectors under the Kitui Promise, reflecting sustained investment in infrastructure, water, health, education, and economic empowerment. Key achievements this year include the commissioning of the flagship Kangu Kangu Water Project and the launch of the Kitui Tourism Circuit.
Dr. Malombe further gave a detailed update on the CLIDP programme, noting that 1,147 projects have been completed since 2022, supported by nearly Kshs. 2 billion in cumulative funding. For the 2025/2026 financial year, the programme has been allocated Kshs. 750 million, with Kshs. 540 million (72%) earmarked for equal distribution across all wards. He clarified that village-level projects will receive 70 percent of these allocations, while 30 percent will support ward-level priorities, with the remainder covering sub-county infrastructure and administrative costs.
On water security, the Governor reaffirmed his administration’s long-term commitment to enhancing access through sustainable technologies. He reported that since 2013, Kitui has constructed 652 sand dams, including 320 built between 2022 and 2025. A further 200 sand dams are planned over the next two years to expand water availability, promote irrigation, bolster food security, and support the rehabilitation of river ecosystems.
Addressing concerns around the Pro-Poor Support Programme, the Governor announced that no bursaries will be issued this year to secondary school, university, or tertiary-level learners. He explained that this decision follows advisories from the Controller of Budget, the Senate, and the Auditor-General, directing counties not to fund functions constitutionally assigned to the National Government. Nonetheless, he assured administrators that the County Government will continue supporting Vocational Training Centre (VTC) candidates, having already disbursed Kshs. 18,995,000 for national examination fees in the current financial year.
The meeting also briefed administrators on the public participation guidelines, noting that village-level barazas will be held on 10th December 2025 to identify and rank CLIDP and sand dam priorities, followed by ward validation meetings on 11th December 2025 to confirm selections and harmonize cross-village proposals. The session was attended by Deputy Governor Augustine Kanani, CECMs, Chief Officers, Advisors, and other senior county officials.
Pictorial
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