I want to lead a clean administration-Malombe

In his maiden speech, Dr Julius Makau Malombe the governor Kitui county who was flanked by his deputy, Augustine Kanani, said he will not lead a government with questionable officers on board and warned a few corrupt workers that they will face the harsh hand of the law and subsequently forced to leave, saying there will be no ifs or buts during his execution of duty.

Kitui Governor Julius Malombe addresses county workers at the Ithookwe Show Grounds in Kitui Central on September 12, 2022.MWINGI TIMES/Paul Mutua

“I want to lead a clean administration and that all county staff must adhere to Chapter Six of the constitution on integrity. My government is set to put into place proper measures to tame graft so that it realises its plan for the people,” Malombe said.

Dr Malombe has vowed to remain steadfast in serving residents and refuse to be dragged into sideshows aimed at derailing and sabotaging his development agenda.

The Kitui county chief who met hundreds of the county government workers at the Ithookwe Showground in Kitui Central said his administration will progressively implement his commitments and deliver development to the residents for improvement of their livelihoods and living standards.

Saying that his government will oversee responsible budgeting to realise sustainable development and ensure equitable development across the county, the governor said it will also administer fairness to the people, guarantee accountability in revenue collection, focus on prompt payment to suppliers and contractors and observe the rule of law with an aim to deliver his 16-point manifesto.

He urged for commitment and support from all and every worker, regardless of file and rank, in order for his administration to achieve its dream by the end of his tenure in office 2027.

Malombe told the workers drawn from the eight sub counties in the vast county that he desired to build a responsive, participatory and consensus-oriented governance in writing a new chapter in people’s lives.

“I am committed to undertaking completion of abandoned projects in anticipation of people’s expectations which are high, particularly considering the extent of service delivery which deteriorated over the last five years,” the governor said.

No excuse for failure

He said nevertheless he had no choice but to fold his sleeves and confront the challenges head on, saying there will be no excuses for failures.

Malombe reflected back when he served as the pioneer governor from 2013 to 2017 saying they achieved a lot and enumerated that every ward and village in the county benefited from various development projects.

“By the time I left office in August 2017, we had implemented a total of 5,294 projects throughout the county. This is an average of 132 projects in each of the 40 wards and an average of 21 projects in each of the 247 villages under a Village Administrator,” he said.

The governor said there will be certainly need for the reorganisation of the county budget for 2022/2023 financial year to be done through a supplementary budgetary framework that will require the cooperation of both the County Executive and County Assembly.

STORY BY PAUL MUTUA