Kitui County Deputy Governor, H.E. Wambua Kanani, on Thursday led ward administrators across the county in a series of validation exercises for proposals under the FY2025/2026 Community Level Infrastructure Development Programme (CLIDP) and the Sand Dams Programme.The Deputy Governor visited several ward headquarters, underscoring the critical role played by administrators in guiding communities across all 40 wards and 247 villages to identify and refine their development priorities.

Over the past two years, CLIDP and the Sand Dams Programme have delivered 1,147 projects, backed by nearly Kshs. 2 billion in cumulative investment. For the upcoming FY2025/2026 financial year, the two programmes have been allocated Kshs. 750 million, of which Kshs. 540 million (72%) will be shared equally across all wards to ensure equitable development.

On the Sand Dams Programme, the County announced steady progress since 2013, having constructed 652 sand dams to date. Notably, 320 of these were built between 2022 and 2025, with another 200 planned for completion within the next two years. These investments continue to strengthen water security, enhance agricultural productivity, and rejuvenate local river ecosystems.

Deputy Governor Kanani also addressed the discontinuation of the Pro-Poor Support Programme following advisories from the Controller of Budget, the Senate, and the Auditor-General.

The advisory emphasized that county governments should not fund functions reserved for the national government under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution.

Despite this change, the County Government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Vocational Training Centre (VTC) trainees by paying their national examination fees. So far, Kshs. 18,995,000 has been disbursed in the current financial year to facilitate this support.

During the Mutonguni validation session, area MCA Hon. Benjamin Mulandi assured residents that the County Assembly remains steadfast in backing initiatives that drive development and improve service delivery across Kitui.Delivering The Kitui County Promise