The Nation has reviewed budget books of the 47 counties for the current fiscal year, finding that at least 43 governors spend Sh14.2 billion to run their offices each year.

The top spenders, allocating more than Sh400 million each for their offices, are Julius Malombe (Kitui), Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos), Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), Mohamed Mohamud Ali (Marsabit), Mohamed Adan Khalif (Mandera), Mutula Kilonzo jnr (Makueni), Gideon Mung’aro (Kilifi), Stephen Sang (Nandi), Simon Kachapin (West Pokot), Ochilo Ayacko (Migori), Jeremiah Lomorukai (Turkana) and Dhadho Ghodhana (Tana River).

The 12 allocated their offices amounts between Sh402 million and Sh2.4 billion, with most of that allocation going to salaries and allowances for hundreds of staff members, and spending on luxury services like air travel.

In several counties, allocations to these offices surpass funds set aside for education, roads, water, energy and agricultural services, which are crucial sectors for the running of counties, a damning revelation on the county bosses who appear to have lost priority on what matters to their residents.

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Official reports have shown that counties have consistently failed to allocate at least 30 percent of their budgets to development as required by law, with governors citing financial constraints.

Poor state of county roads and unreliable supply of clean water are among the persistent grievances of residents. There have been complaints about poor allocations for early childhood education, with grossly underpaid and overworked teachers, and farmers have also complained about poor agricultural extension services and inaccessible markets for their produce, another indictment of counties, as agriculture is another devolved function.

In other instances, offices of the county bosses have usurped the mandates of technical departments, implementing projects that should ideally be undertaken by specialists.

Mr Malombe inKitui, who made a comeback at the corner office in 2022, after being rejected by voters five years earlier, allocated his office Sh2.39 billion in the year to June.

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The allocation is 16.8 percent of the county’s budget of Sh14.3 billion and is more than budgets set aside for education services in the county (Sh1.05 billion), roads (Sh959 million), agriculture (Sh825 million), and energy (Sh545 million).

Nearly two-thirds of the office’s budget is going to pay salaries and fund office operations, while Sh945 million will be put to projects, Kitui County budget books show.

In Machakos, Ms Ndeti has hit Sh816.7 million for her office’s operation in the current financial year. Of this, Sh784 million will be used to pay salaries and procure goods and services.

Governor Ndeti’s plan for the office includes procuring hospitality services at Sh50.3 million, using Sh47 million to pay advisors, funding the deputy’s office with Sh85 million and using Sh73.2 million for transport services.

While she uses Sh816.7 million to run her office, the budget set aside for other crucial sectors trails by far, including agriculture (Sh575 million), trade (Sh352 million), and water (Sh799 million).

Ms Ndeti did not respond to questions by the Nation, touching on functions her office is undertaking, the number of staff and departments her office supports and the number of advisors being paid Sh47 million. The Nation had also sought to understand the governor’s rationale for allocating her office more budget than crucial sectors that stand to impact Machakos residents more.

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In Homa Bay, the Office of the Governor’s budget was Sh538.4 million in the period under review, with Sh221.2 million set aside for development, including construction of the Governor's residence and county headquarters. The allocation for the previous year was capped at Sh400 million.

In Marsabit, the County Executive Services, where the Governor’s office falls under, has a budget of Sh608.1 million, including Sh254.6 million to pay salaries, Sh193.5 million for office operations, and a spending of Sh150 million on projects.

The budget is more than the county’s allocation to energy (Sh429.76 million), roads (Sh267.56 million) and trade (Sh111.5 million).

“Responsibility for implementation of County policies and plans, as well as accounting for results within the framework of government structure, is a primary obligation of the sector,” the county’s budget books say.

Governor Mohamud Mohamed Ali did not respond to questions regarding actual projects the office is implementing, the number of staff paid under his office and the rationale for allocating the county executive services more budget than crucial sectors.

The office of ManderaGovernor Adan Khalif and his deputy Ali Maalim is splashing Sh521 million in the year to June, more than the allocation to the County’s Finance and Economic Planning (Sh462.4 million) and Trade (Sh404.4 million).

The allocation to the governor’s office is also close to Sh55.3 million for the County’s social development, and nearly two-thirds of the agriculture budget.

Makueni’sKilonzo Jnr is splashing Sh516 million in the running of his office, 90 percent of which will fund purchases of items including tea, stationery, fuel and services such as travels, with some Sh57.8 million set aside for payment of 39 workers.

Makueni’s Governorship budget is, however, more than the county’s budget for trade (Sh212 million), Infrastructure, transport, public works, housing and energy (Sh420.8 million) and lands (Sh419 million), and is almost at par with the Sh520 million county’s allocation for water services.

The governor did not respond to questions regarding projects his office implements and the rationale for allocating more than half a billion to it, while starving other sectors.

Far Coast in Kilifi, Governor Mung’aro allocated Sh498 million to his office, all of which is for recurrent activities, with part of the spending including Sh5.5 million for catering services (receptions), accommodation, gifts and food, Sh4.4 million for hiring of transport and training equipment and Sh3 million for printing services.

The governor’s budget is more than allocations to Economic Planning (Sh67.4 million), Energy (Sh148.3 million), livestock (Sh46.4 million), Cooperative development (Sh38.8 million), and Public works (Sh39.8 million).

For NandiCounty, the County Executive was allocated Sh448.7 million, which is 4.47 percent of the county’s budget. The County Executive comprises the Office of the Governor, office of the Deputy Governor and the related support offices. In the financial year ending June 30, 2025, the office was allocated Sh546 million.

Part of the spending is going to commercial flights (Sh19.5 million), some Sh4.36 million for hiring vehicles and Sh13.5 million for the purchase of diesel and the budget is more than allocations for the Trade and Tourism sector Sh396.9 million, Culture and Gender Sh61.7 million, and Sports and Youth Sh155.8 million.

In WestPokot, the county government allocated Sh447.6 million under the county executive office, with a huge chunk of it, Sh357.7 million, dedicated to recurrent activities.

Curiously, the budget is more than the Sh356.2 million allocated to the Transport and Infrastructure sector, Special programmes Sh114.5 million, Housing and Urban Development Sh302.3 million, and Finance and Economic Planning Sh306.3 million.

The county executive expenditure comprises expenses associated with the Office of the Governor, Deputy Governor and their Staff, County Executive Committee Members, County Secretary, Chief Officers, Chief of Staff, Advisors, County Public Service Board, Sub-County and Ward Administrators.

During the financial years 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, the County Executive was allocated Sh522.95 million, Sh599.36 million and Sh605.10 million respectively.

MigoriGovernor Ayacko is spending Sh420 million, including a Sh23 million budget labelled ‘State House services’, Sh12.6 million for catering services and Sh6.3 million for daily subsistence allowance.

Turkana’s Jeremiah Lomorukai has an allocation of Sh405.7 million to the Governance and office of the deputy governor's offices, which is more than an allocation of Sh348 million to roads, lands & housing (Sh156 million).

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In TanaRiver, Governor Ghodhana allocated his office Sh402 million, out of which Sh133.7 million is going to pay salaries and Sh288.5 million to fund office operations.

The governor has more budget than allocations for the entire county assembly (Sh275 million), trade and tourism (Sh53 million), roads (Sh100 million), water and education (Sh47 million each).

Only Governor Godhana responded to questions shared by the Nation, and instead of responding to issues raised, he sought to blame his senator for launching a propaganda campaign for “political mileage”. He did not substantiate the claims.

“This is the second time such a push is being made by the senator. Of course, being a political season to soil the image of the County government for political mileage. However, we don’t have that information, and our records are far above such a recommendation. Don’t allow yourself to be part of a propaganda network,” the governor responded on WhatsApp on March 13, 2026.

The Nation had asked him to explain the functions of his office in the current year, the departments under the office, the number of staff, and the rationale for allocating more cash to crucial sectors than to his office. Information available in the County’s official budget books.

Read: How flying county officers blew Sh3bn in travel in three months

The Sh8.2 billion spent to run the offices of the 12 governors accounted for 58 percent of the total spending on governors’ offices across 43 counties. A look at the counties’ overall budgets, however, shows that they account for less than 30 percent of the Sh527 billion budget of the 43 counties.

At least 13 counties where some full or part of the information is available on how the governors’ plan to spend in the running of their offices have allocated less than Sh150 million for the current year.

They include Bomet (Sh144.8 million), Nyeri (Sh144.3 million), Elgeyo Marakwet (Sh135.5 million), Nyandarua (Sh125 million), and Tharaka Nithi (Sh110 million).

In Uasin Gishu, the office of the governor has a budget of Sh98.58 million, with Sh53 million going towards compensation of employees and Sh41.5 million for the use of goods and services.

The budget allocation for the financial years 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 was Sh170 million, Sh193.9 million and Sh123.3 million, respectively.

Baringo County has allocated Sh72.7 million to the office of the governor and Sh24 million to that of the deputy governor. In the previous fiscal year, the offices received Sh65.9 million for the Governor’s Office and Sh19.6 million for the deputy governor.

In the case of Kajiado County, the devolved unit has allocated Sh228.3 million to the Office of the Governor and Deputy. The budget is more than Sh136.9 million for Kitengela Municipality, Sh128.6 million for Kajiado Municipality and Sh204.9 million for the Gender, Culture and Tourism sector.

In Narok County, the allocation for the Office of the Governor was Sh272.3 million where compensation to employees takes Sh93.5 million and use of goods and services Sh142.4 million.

For Governor Susan Kihika’s Nakuru, the office of the governor and the deputy have an allocation of Sh372 million, which is 1.7 percent of the county’s total budget.

However, the budget dwarfs the Sh310.6 million allocated to the Lands and Physical Planning sector; Sh349.3 million for Youth and Sports, Sh229.3 million for the running of Gilgil Municipality and Sh176.2 million for Molo municipality.

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Governor Paul Otuoma’s Busia County allocated Sh353.7 million to the Office of the Governor, where Sh185.2 million goes to payment of salaries to 253 staff in the office.

For Nairobi County, the Office of the Governor had allocations of Sh211 million in the financial year ending June 2023 and Sh307.8 million in the 2023/24 financial year, but there is no mention of the vote head in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.

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The Nation did not find enough information to establish actual allocations to governors’ offices in Kisii, Kisumu, Kiambu and Trans Nzoia counties, while in others, the information was incomplete.

In Kisumu County, the Public Service, County Administration and Participatory Development are allocated a combined budget of Sh1.79 billion.

In Governor Simba Arati’s Kisii County, the allocation for the Office of the Governor is combined with that of the County Public Service Board, standing at Sh823.6 million.

Payment of salaries for staff in the offices of the Governor, Deputy Governor, County Attorney, County Secretary, and for advisors, among others and settlement of utilities, security operations gobble up sh250 million.

Out of the amount, Sh200 million is for development expenditure, with completion of the Governor’s residence taking Sh32 million, Sh158 million for completion of the county headquarters and Sh10 million towards construction of the County Public Service Board car park and fence.

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