Members of the Kiambu County Assembly have intensified pressure on Governor Kimani wa Matangi’s administration to prioritize roads, healthcare services and staffing as the county begins deliberations on its latest budget estimates.
Speaking during a special sitting of the assembly where the budget and supplementary estimates were tabled, several MCAs voiced frustration over stalled infrastructure projects, poor road conditions and shortages of medicine in public hospitals, even as others defended the county government’s development record.
Murera Ward MCA Moses Ngatha said the assembly had fulfilled its constitutional role by beginning the process of scrutinizing and passing the county budget, but warned that residents were increasingly dissatisfied with the state of roads and healthcare services.
Ngatha singled out the Roads Department for criticism, saying many roads across Kiambu County had deteriorated significantly and required urgent intervention.
“We want the governor to change the setup in the roads department because many wards have suffered due to poor roads. The people of Kiambu deserve better services,” he said.
The MCA also raised concerns about delayed health projects in Murera Ward, particularly the stalled Mugutha Dispensary project, which he said had appeared in multiple budgets without being completed.
“For the third budget now, we still have the Mugutha hospital project yet residents have not benefited. We need a Level Three hospital in Murera,” he said.
Ngatha further called for increased allocation of funds for medicine procurement, saying shortages of drugs in county hospitals continued to affect residents.
Karuri Ward MCA Peter Wainaina said the assembly would thoroughly scrutinize the estimates before approval, noting that legislators still had room to make amendments aimed at improving service delivery.
He praised the Departments of Education and Trade for what he termed impressive performance, citing progress in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres, boda boda sheds and health infrastructure.
However, Wainaina acknowledged that road infrastructure remained one of the county’s weakest areas, attributing the crisis partly to delayed disbursement of funds from the national government through the Kenya Roads Board.
According to the MCA, Kiambu County missed out on more than KSh1 billion meant for road maintenance over the past three financial years.
“In 2022/2023, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, the county was promised hundreds of millions for road maintenance, but most of that money never came. This year, only KSh119 million out of the allocated KSh475 million has been released,” he said.
Wainaina said the county leadership had now agreed to reallocate funds from other departments through a supplementary budget in order to rehabilitate at least five to six kilometres of roads in every ward.
Kikuyu Ward MCA James Kamau also faulted the county executive over deteriorating roads and under-equipped hospitals, saying residents were demanding visible results rather than promises.
“We have beautiful hospital buildings, but what residents want are hospitals with medicine, equipment and staff,” he said.
Kamau said the assembly had already allocated sufficient funds for employment of medical personnel, purchase of reagents and procurement of medicine, and challenged the executive to ensure the funds were properly utilized.
He added that poor roads were increasing the cost of transport and agricultural production, especially after heavy rains.
“The people of Kiambu deserve proper roads. Farmers, transport operators and ordinary wananchi are suffering because roads are in a horrible state,” he said.
Kamau accused the county government of failing to prioritize road construction despite repeated allocations by the assembly, noting that the county had not achieved its targets under the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP).
“We had committed to tarmacking 75 kilometres of roads by the end of our tenure, but we have done zero through county funding. Most tarmacking has come through donor-funded programmes,” he said.
At the same time, Kahawa Sukari MCA and Public Accounts Committee Chairperson Kennedy Odhiambo defended the county government’s record, arguing that much of the criticism ignored the progress already made in infrastructure development.
Odhiambo said Governor Kimani wa Matangi’s administration had invested heavily in ECDE centres, hospitals and other public infrastructure over the last three years.
“More than 500 ECDE centres have been built, and almost every sub-county now has a Level Four hospital while wards have Level Two and Level Three facilities,” he said.
He explained that the county had deliberately prioritized construction of infrastructure before staffing and equipping the facilities.
“You cannot put medicine where there is no hospital. The focus in the last three years was infrastructure. Now this budget is focusing on medicine, doctors and teachers,” Odhiambo stated.
The MCA revealed that the county had set aside approximately KSh1.5 billion for roads in the new budget and promised that road rehabilitation would intensify across the county.
He also defended the county leadership against accusations of extravagance, saying MCAs and the executive had adopted austerity measures in order to channel more resources into development projects.
“We have tightened our belts so that people can get hospitals and roads. Even today we are holding meetings in tents at the assembly,” he said.
Kahawa Wendani MCA Brian Sinne Simiyu also expressed optimism about projects in his ward, saying several road, education and lighting initiatives had already begun.
Simiyu disclosed that the county had allocated KSh25 million toward the purchase of land for a new health facility in Kahawa Wendani after years of delays caused by land ownership disputes.
“I was the first MCA to be allocated a hospital in Kiambu County, but land issues delayed the project. Now we finally have an allocation for the purchase of land,” he said.
The MCA said residents should expect major improvements before the end of the year, including road upgrades, solar lighting and completion of ECDE projects.
Despite differing opinions on the county’s performance, the MCAs appeared united on one issue — that roads and healthcare would dominate public expectations as the budget process moves to the next stage.
The budget estimates are expected to undergo scrutiny and debate before final approval by the County Assembly.
