The political fight in Machakos County is quickly turning into a disturbing test of power, with Governor Wavinya Ndeti at the centre of a bitter confrontation with the County Assembly.
What began as a disagreement over the KSh17.8 billion budget has now raised bigger questions about leadership, restraint and how far political leaders are willing to go when challenged.
Ndeti has refused to assent to the Machakos County Appropriation Bill, 2026, accusing MCAs of making unlawful changes to the spending plan.
She says the Assembly moved nearly KSh854 million away from programmes that the county government considers important for residents.
But the growing drama around the governor has also attracted attention following claims that she stormed the County Assembly and allegedly assaulted the Serjeant-at-Arms. Such allegations, if confirmed, would be deeply troubling.
A governor is expected to respect public institutions, even during moments of intense political disagreement. Storming an Assembly and physically confronting its officers would raise serious questions about the conduct expected from a holder of such a powerful office.
The budget dispute itself is already serious. Ndeti says funding for the Wikwatyo Fund and women and youth empowerment programmes was reduced from KSh274 million to KSh74 million. Bursary funding was cut by KSh30 million, while allocations for some roads already under contract were also reduced.She further accuses the Assembly of adding KSh130 million to its development budget beyond the ceiling provided under the County Fiscal Strategy Paper.
The governor argues that the changes violate the Public Finance Management Act and could affect service delivery.
Garbage collection is another major concern.
Ndeti has warned that reduced funding could leave rapidly growing areas such as Mlolongo, Athi River and Machakos vulnerable to poor sanitation and diseases such as cholera and typhoid.She has also defended funding for the Revenue Management System, saying it helped increase the county’s own-source revenue from KSh1.55 billion in 2023/24 to KSh3.35 billion in 2025/26.
The county is targeting KSh4.93 billion in 2026/27.Whatever the political differences, Machakos residents deserve leaders who can disagree without turning public offices into arenas of confrontation.
The Governor and MCAs may fight over figures, but public institutions cannot become casualties of their political battles.
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