​Between 2013 and 2024, Kitui County received KSh 101.9 billion from the national government. This isn’t just a line item in a ledger; it is one of the largest financial injections in the county’s history. In a dry, resource-strained region, this is “generational” money wealth capable of fundamentally altering the life of every resident.

​But we must look past the spreadsheets. We must ask: What does KSh 101.9 billion actually buy?

​The Kitui That Could Have Been

​If invested with integrity, that money could have delivered a county where no one dies for lack of care or water:

• ​A Healthcare Fortress: Ten fully equipped Level 5 hospitals and a dispensary in every ward. No more rushing emergencies to Nairobi; no more mothers giving birth on dirt floors.
• ​The Death of Thirst: Thousands of boreholes, dozens of massive dams, and piped water in every village. This money was enough to ensure that “fetching water” became a memory rather than a daily chore for our children.
• ​A Web of Opportunity: Over 1,000 kilometers of tarmac. Roads that turn remote farms into market players and dust-blown towns into investment hubs.
• ​An Economic Engine: Modern TVETs for the youth and large-scale irrigation for farmers. It could have turned survival into a business and joblessness into entrepreneurship.

​The Dark Side of the Billions

​However, KSh 101.9 billion can also buy a very different reality. It can buy their kids:

• ​Fleets of luxury SUVs and “designer” executive offices at expense of health.
• ​Endless family trips and five-star retreats in Europe
• ​Inflated allowances and ghost projects designed for ribbon-cutting photos, not for people.