Twelve governors have allocated over Sh8.2 billion to run their offices, even as key sectors such as health, roads, agriculture and education remain underfunded.
Budget records show that 43 counties will spend Sh14.2 billion on governors’ offices this financial year, with the 12 highest spenders accounting for 58 per cent of the total. Each allocated between Sh402 million and Sh2.4 billion, largely for salaries, travel, hospitality, advisory services and operations.
In several counties, spending on governors’ offices exceeds allocations to essential services.
Kitui leads with Sh2.39 billion-about 16.8 per cent of its total budget; surpassing funding for education, roads, agriculture and energy. Machakos allocated Sh816.7 million, including millions for hospitality, advisors and transport, exceeding agriculture and trade budgets.
Other high spenders include Homa Bay (Sh538.4 million), Marsabit (Sh608.1 million), Mandera (Sh521 million) and Makueni (Sh516 million), where most funds go to recurrent expenses. In Kilifi, the entire Sh498 million allocation is for operational costs such as catering and transport hire.
In Nandi, spending includes millions on flights, fuel and vehicle hire, while Migori and Tana River budgets feature allocations for catering, subsistence and State House services. Turkana and West Pokot also allocated more to executive offices than to sectors like roads and housing.
Some governors did not respond to queries on staffing, project roles and spending justifications, while Tana River’s governor dismissed the concerns as politically motivated.
The allocations come despite a legal requirement that at least 30 per cent of county budgets go to development, a threshold many counties continue to miss.
Residents have raised concerns over poor roads, unreliable water supply, weak agricultural support and underfunded early education, questioning the prioritisation of administrative spending.
Meanwhile, a few counties such as Bomet, Nyeri and Nyandarua have kept allocations to governors’ offices below Sh150 million, highlighting disparities in spending across the country.
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