CoB report: Kilifi, Turkana and Nairobi top counties in development spending
By Francis Muli, September 20, 2025Kilifi County has emerged as the biggest spender on development programmes in FY 2024/25, channeling Ksh6.71 billion into infrastructure and service delivery, according to the latest Controller of Budget (CoB) report.
The review shows that Kilifi outpaced other regions in actual development expenditure, followed by Turkana (Ksh4.29 billion), Nairobi (Ksh4.09 billion), Mandera (Ksh4.07 billion), Narok (Ksh3.96 billion), Nakuru (Ksh3.94 billion), and Kitui (Ksh3.28 billion). Collectively, these counties accounted for a significant share of the Ksh123.7 billion spent on development nationally.
Nairobi’s allocation of more than Ksh4 billion underscored its effort to balance service-related recurrent costs with capital projects, while Turkana, Mandera, Narok, Nakuru, and Kitui maintained steady focus on infrastructure and social amenities.
In Nairobi, for instance, Governor Johnson Sakaja spent Ksh4.09 billion on development programmes in the 2024/25 financial year, up from Ksh2.72 billion in 2023/24 — representing a 50.6 per cent increase, according to the CoB annual budget implementation report.
This allocation, equivalent to 30.3 per cent of the county’s absorption rate, marked the highest dedicated funding to development in infrastructure and service delivery.
The spending covered a wide range of projects, with Ward Development Programmes across all 85 wards receiving the largest share at Ksh1.95 billion. By June 30, 2025, nearly Ksh834 million had already been absorbed in ward-level initiatives ranging from roads and water access to social amenities.
Urban renewal and infrastructure also featured prominently. Slum upgrading under the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP II) received Ksh366 million for roads, drainage, and tenure security.
City Hall further strengthened service delivery by investing Ksh263 million in trucks and equipment, more than Ksh500 million in road maintenance and street lighting upgrades, and Ksh118 million in the digitalization of County Assembly services.
To boost trade and livelihoods, the county spent Ksh111 million towards completing the Mutuini Market project in Dagoretti South, now at an advanced stage. Routine road maintenance and select road construction consumed close to half a billion shillings, recording 100 per cent completion by June 2025.
Despite being a service-oriented county, most of Nairobi’s equitable share is directed towards personnel costs and essential operations such as school feeding, public lighting, solid waste management, bursaries, scholarships, and staff-related insurance obligations.
Sakaja noted that, at first glance, Nairobi’s 12 per cent development spending may appear modest. However, with a total budget of about Ksh43 billion, this translates to over Ksh4 billion directed toward development, the third highest ranked by CoB.
“Remember, we are a service-driven county. The entire portion of the equitable share is channeled to personnel, recurrent operations, and essential services such as the school feeding programme, public lighting, solid waste management, personnel-related insurance costs, bursaries, and scholarships. The county relies heavily on own-source revenue to finance both development and operational expenses,” he reiterated.
During the reporting period, county governments collectively generated Ksh67.30 billion from own-source revenue (OSR), representing 77 per cent of the annual target of Ksh87.67 billion. This reflects significant growth compared to Ksh41.40 billion generated in the same period of FY 2023/24.