Water, Health to Food Security: Malombe's Development Tsunami hits Kitui

Governor Malombe during State of the County Address 

Our Reporter

Kitui County has recorded significant development milestone with the successful implementation of 1921 infrastructural projects and life changing programmes in all the 40 wards over the last two years and 10 months.

Governor Julius Malombe revealed this while enumerating his scorecard during a State of the County Address delivered at the County Assembly on Tuesday last week.

CLIDPs transforming lives

Of these projects, about 1000 were implemented under the Community Level Infrastructure Development Programme (CLIDP), a flagship initiative pioneered by Dr Malombe during his first term as the pioneer governor for the county.

“I am proud to report that nearly three years into office, my administration has made substantive and transformative strides in advancing the development agenda of our county,” the governor said.

According to the scorecard, the projects are spread across the 16 Priority Sectors which include among others healthcare provision, access to clean water, agriculture and food security and road connectivity. 

Other sectors that have witnessed life changing programmes include basic and vocational education, urban development, trade and investments, bodaboda sector as well as women, youth and disability inclusion.

Revolutionizing food security

In Agriculture, a total of 527,208 farmers were trained on modern farming and livestock production, climate-smart agricultural practices, agribusiness skills and value chain development to boost productivity and resilience

To boost food production through irrigated agriculture, the county administration established 32 solar powered cluster irrigation projects. Further, under the Small-Scale Irrigation and Value Addition Project (SIVAP), Malombe’s administration has established nine small-scale irrigation schemes in Kauwi, Nguutani, Kyome/Thaana and Mutonguni Wards, directly benefiting over 4000 farmers and improving food security. 

 “This initiative is a cornerstone of our strategy to promote climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture by reducing dependency on rain-fed farming,” the governor affirmed.

 He added that his administration has also ramped up agricultural extension and advisory services aimed at enhancing farm productivity and profitability.

The magic of Agricultural Show

Another major win was the revival of the Kitui Agricultural Show and Trade Fair, which attracted over 30, 000 participants in 2023 and 52,000 in 2024. This served as a vital platform for showcasing modern agricultural technologies, innovations, and market linkages for Kitui farmers and agribusiness stakeholders.

Kangu Kangu comes to life & other water investiments 

On the water front, the county government has completed the construction of 347 sand dams and 19 sump-wells which have significantly improved access to reliable water, both for domestic use and small scale irrigation farming to over 5000 households across the county.

The governor observed that sump-wells and sand dams are cost-effective, reliable and sustainable water solutions. He revealed that a single sump-well has the capacity to yield approximately 200,000 litres of water per day, which can serve an estimated 2,000 households daily.

Additionally, the county has constructed and de-silted 60 earth dams across the county, drilled 55 boreholes and equipped 33 others in strategic locations across the county, benefitting an estimated 8,550 households. This is in addition to laying 134 kilometers of water pipeline extensions across the county.

Kangu Kangu water quenches Kitui South, Rural 

A major water project under this agenda is the revival and completion of Kangu Kangu Water Project in Kitui South, where the county government has collaborated with the World Vision to install a new intake and installed modern pumping systems.

The governor announced that the Sh839 million flagship project will be launched in August this year, saying it will provide reliable access to potable water for over 25,000 households.

Health is Wealth

To enhance access to healthcare services, the administration has expanded and upgraded health facilities in order to take quality healthcare services closer to the people.

For instance, a cancer centre was set up at Kitui County Referral Hospital in November 2023. So far, the facility has attended to over 3000 patients.

To improve maternal and child healthcare, the county administration increased the number of operational maternity units from 81 in 2022 to 99 in 2025. Additionally, a 70-bed Newborn Unit was established at the county referral hospital.

“These efforts have reduced infant mortality from 47 to 13 per 1,000 live births,” the governor observed.

GBV Centre at Ikutha 

In the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), the county administration acquired 1.5 acres of land in Ikutha for the establishment of a GBV Rescue Centre where construction works are already ongoing.

Kisomo nokyo 

In education, the county administration has constructed 179 ECDE classrooms to benefit about 7,000 learners while 1,688 ECDE teachers were converted to permanent and pensionable terms.

Industrial Park gives hope to thousands 

To boost economic growth, the county is developing Kitui County Aggregation and Industrial Park (K-CAIP) at Kanyonyoo along the Thika-Mwingi-Garissa Highway. This will among other things provide farmers with access to modern storage facilities, processing, and marketing infrastructure.

“The park is designed to enhance productivity of the agriculture sector, increase farmers' income, create jobs and attract serous investments,” the governor explained.