Kiambu County has approved a Sh25.1 billion budget for the 2026/27 financial year, placing road construction, healthcare and water services at the heart of its spending plans while renewing calls for changes to how counties are funded.
Governor Kimani Wamatangi signed the budget into law, describing it as a plan aimed at improving everyday life through investments in essential public services and economic growth.
More than a third of the budget, Ksh8.5 billion has been set aside for development projects. Roads account for the largest share, receiving Sh4.5 billion as the county seeks to improve transport links and support business activity across its towns and rural areas.
Healthcare will receive Sh750 million to equip and operationalise new hospitals, while Sh816 million has been allocated to agriculture to support food production and improve farmers’ earnings.
Education has been earmarked Sh667 million, with funding expected to expand Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres and strengthen youth empowerment programmes. The county has also allocated resources for trade and enterprise development to encourage job creation, alongside investments to improve access to clean water.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Wamatangi said the spending plan reflects the county’s focus on practical investments that touch residents’ daily lives.
“This budget reflects our commitment to delivering, people-centred development through strategic investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, trade and water services. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for every resident of Kiambu County,” Wamatangi said.
Even as he defended the budget, the governor argued that counties continue to face financial constraints because the current funding model does not accurately measure the real cost of devolved services.
He said county governments prepare budgets without a clear national framework for determining how much it costs to provide services such as healthcare, making long-term planning difficult.
“When you want to drive a mile, you calculate how many liters of fuel you need. That is called costing. But when you ask what it costs to provide healthcare in Kiambu, nobody knows, not even the Treasury or the Ministry of Health,” he said.
Wamatangi also said Kiambu’s fast-growing population has increased demand for hospitals, roads and other public services, while much of the county’s share from the national government is absorbed by staff salaries. According to him, counties rely heavily on transfers from the National Government because locally generated revenue comes mainly from user fees and other small levies.
The governor further defended Kiambu’s legal challenge against the Kenya Revenue Authority over taxation of county-generated revenue, saying the court’s decision in favour of counties protected devolved governments from what he described as unlawful taxation.
He also accused the National Government of delaying the release of billions of shillings from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), arguing that counties maintain a larger share of Kenya’s road network than the national government but receive only a small portion of the fund.
“Counties are owed approximately Sh12 billion from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund. We maintain about 140,000 kilometres of roads compared to the National Government’s 60,000 kilometres, yet nearly 90 per cent of the fund remains with the National Government,” Wamatangi said.
The debate over county funding is expected to remain central as devolved governments push for larger allocations, arguing that growing populations and expanding responsibilities have outpaced available resources.
For Kiambu residents, however, the success of the new budget will ultimately be measured by whether the promised roads are built, hospitals become fully operational and reliable water reaches more homes over the coming year.
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