Poo representation left Kitui with Sh500m court awards, says Malombe

Kitui Governor Julius Malombe /MUSEMBI NZENGU

KITUI Governor Julius Malombe has said that  when he took over office in 2022 he inherited a county weighed down by huge court awards amounting to Sh533.6 million due to poor legal representation.

“Upon assuming office, I inherited a county burdened by numerous court cases and inadequate legal representation, an unfortunate situation that had exposed the county to mounting litigation costs and significant financial risk,” he said.

Despite the disturbing reality of a county struggling with humongous litigation costs and in serious fiscal risk, his administration strategically worked to reduce the court burden by Sh289.8 million.

The county chief's disclosures were contained in his state of the county address to MCAs at the Kitui county assembly chamber on Tuesday. The document is before the assembly for debate.

Malombe said through targeted policy reforms and strategic improvements, the office of the county attorney significantly made legal representation watertight.

“Today, Kitui county is being robustly defended in court and the interests of our people are better protected.”

He said they have embraced alternative dispute resolution, with the office of the county attorney negotiating settlement of outstanding court decrees and arbitral awards through the Pending Bills Review Advisory Team.

“As a result, 14 out of 17 court decrees have been successfully settled,with most  decree holders agreeing to waive interest, saving the county an impressive Sh 289,865,657.01,” Malombe said.

The governor further disclosed that the reinvigorated county attorney's office had successfully defended court claims against the county government totaling nearly Sh450 million.

Malombe also took pride in the fact that Kitui's own source revenue had continued on a growth trajectory attaining a 147.8 per cent in three years, highlighting this as a key indicator of progress.

“When we assumed office in August 2022, the annual revenue stood at Sh361,271,341 in financial year 2021-2022. This figure increased to Sh473,138,519 in FY2022-2023, Sh517,049,815 in FY 2023-2024, and most remarkably Sh895,416,036 in FY2024-2025,” he said.

Malombe attributed the notable growth to improved efficiency due to reforms, tightened systems and automation of most of the revenue streams as well as the trust and cooperation of residents.

On budget absorption, Malombe said the county budget for 2024-2025 financial year was Sh14.3 billion, comprising Sh4.7 billion (33.2 per cent) for development expenditure and Sh9.5 billion (66.8 per cent) for recurrent expenditure.

“By the end of the financial year, June 30, 2025, the total expenditure amounted to Sh12,302,605,566.60, reflecting a gross absorption of 86 per cent,” he said.

He regretted that despite the progress attained, persistent delays in the disbursement of funds from the exchequer had adversely affected timely implementation of development projects and prompt settlement of payments to contractors and suppliers.