By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 4 June 2026 - Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has opened a new political front against both the National Government and sections of her county assembly, signalling an increasingly combative approach as financial pressures and political resistance threaten to slow her development agenda.
Speaking during the second day of an extensive development tour of Machakos Town Constituency, Wavinya delivered a blunt warning to Nairobi over delayed healthcare funding while simultaneously putting Members of the County Assembly on notice over attempts to frustrate budget approvals.
The governor's remarks exposed the growing tension between county governments and the Kenya Kwanza administration over the implementation of the Social Health Authority programme, which has become a major test of the country's evolving healthcare reforms.
While rallying residents to register under the SHA scheme, Wavinya questioned the sustainability of asking citizens to embrace the programme when counties are struggling to access funds meant to support health services.
Her message was direct. Registration alone will not guarantee healthcare delivery if hospitals remain underfunded.
"Register with SHA. But as I ensure our people register, we are demanding that the National Government remits our money on time. We need the funds to stock hospitals and serve our people better," she said.
The governor echoed concerns raised by county chiefs across the country that billions of shillings owed to devolved units under the healthcare programme remain unpaid. Governors have warned that delayed remittances could cripple service delivery and undermine public confidence in the new health financing model.
The dispute comes at a politically sensitive moment as the government seeks to convince Kenyans that the SHA system can succeed where previous health insurance arrangements struggled.
Yet it was Wavinya's warning to local legislators that revealed the deeper political fault lines emerging within Machakos.
In unusually forceful language, she signalled a willingness to bypass political gridlock if MCAs frustrate development programmes through delays in budget approvals.
The statement amounted to a rare assertion of executive authority in a county where relations between governors and assemblies have often been characterised by political bargaining and power struggles.
Wavinya accused unnamed political actors of attempting to hold development projects hostage, insisting that the interests of residents would take precedence over political manoeuvring.
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"Where necessary, I will make decisive executive decisions to protect public funds, accelerate project implementation and ensure that the development agenda of Machakos County remains on course," she declared.
The remarks suggest an administration increasingly determined to project strength amid mounting financial and political challenges.
They also highlight the delicate balancing act facing governors as shrinking revenues, delayed disbursements and rising public expectations place devolved governments under growing pressure.
Throughout her tour, Wavinya sought to reinforce her development credentials by focusing on ongoing investments in healthcare, water supply, sanitation and road infrastructure.
The governor argued that despite persistent cash-flow challenges caused by delayed transfers from the National Treasury, her administration remains committed to delivering projects while ensuring prudent use of public resources.
Behind the development rhetoric, however, lies a broader political calculation.
As the 2027 political landscape begins to take shape, county chiefs are increasingly positioning themselves as defenders of devolution and champions of local interests against what they perceive as an over-centralised national government.
For Wavinya, the fight is no longer just about budgets or healthcare funding. It is becoming a contest over political authority, service delivery and control of the development narrative in one of Kenya's most politically influential counties.
The coming months will reveal whether her hardline stance secures faster funding and smoother implementation of projects or deepens the institutional battles that have long defined devolved governance in Kenya.