Kitui Governor Julius Malombe before the Senate County Public Accounts
Committee at Bunge Towers on Wednesday /DOUGLAS OKIDDY
Governor Julius Malombe is on the spot after a Senate committee raised the alarm over “inconsistencies” in the revenue collected from sand harvesting by the Kitui government.
This comes amid claims of a powerful cartel allegedly colluding with county officials to siphon millions of shillings from the county through sand harvesting.
The Senate County Public Accounts Committee was stunned to learn that Kitui county collects cess from only five trucks per day ferrying sand from its rivers—an amount translating to roughly Sh11,000 daily.
According to financial records submitted to the committee, the county collected Sh4.1 million in cess during the 2024–25 financial year from lorries transporting sand harvested from Kitui rivers.
But the senators said the figure does not reflect the reality on the ground in one of the country’s leading sand-producing regions.
“Even if you took an average of Sh2,000 per truck, this means you are talking about five trucks per day,” CPAC chairperson Moses Kajwang’ said.
“Is that reflective of the state of affairs on the ground—that there are just about five trucks every day paying cess in Kitui?” he posed.
Malombe, who responded through the county’s chief finance officer, attempted to defend the figures, arguing that not all sand harvesting activities are commercial.
“Sometimes you will not even get a truck. It depends on whether the trucks have moved from the river to Thika or gone elsewhere to offload sand,” the governor said through the finance officer.
The explanation, however, only served to inflame tempers among senators, who accused the county leadership of being economical with the truth.
Kajwang’ said the figures pointed to possible collusion between truck owners and county revenue officers.
“The officers are either collecting cess and not reporting it, or not collecting it at all, thereby denying the people of Kitui revenue that could help them respond to crises such as drought.”
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said, “You are insulting our intelligence.” He warned that the committee would not tolerate evasive answers.
“We would like to have a conversation that makes sense,” Sifuna said.
“The moment we feel our intelligence is being insulted, we become very agitated. Kindly just answer the question: Is it feasible that in a day, there are only five trucks paying cess for sand? The straightforward answer is no.”
Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua went further, dropping what he termed a “bombshell” by alleging the existence of a well-connected cartel that pockets millions of shillings meant for the county government.
According to Wambua, at least 100 trucks draw sand from Kitui rivers every day, and each is expected to pay cess to the county.
“Every day, each of these trucks pays Sh6,000 to a cartel, but they are issued with a receipt of Sh1,000,” Wambua alleged.
“When they reach the official cess collection point, they present the Sh1,000 receipt and are allowed to pass.”
Governor Malombe denied any collusion between county officers and cartels, insisting his administration has taken deliberate steps to streamline sand harvesting in Kitui.
He told the committee that the county enacted a law in 2024 to regulate sand harvesting, focusing on environmental conservation, proper management of extraction sites and structured cess collection.
The law, he said, led to the formation of cooperatives and community-based organisations tasked with managing sand harvesting sites and ensuring order in the sector.
“One of the key issues raised by the people of Kitui was the haphazard harvesting of sand from their rivers. This is not a new problem,” Malombe said, adding that his administration had automated revenue collection to seal loopholes and rule out collusion.
Kitui is among the leading sand harvesting counties in eastern and central Kenya, with sand ferried as far as Nairobi and other major towns.
“We are building all the cities in this country using sand from Kitui,” Wambua said. “Yet we are not getting a single cent as a county. Instead, we are turning our land into a desert.”
The committee is expected to summon more county officials as it probes the matter further.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The Senate County Public Accounts Committee has questioned Kitui Governor Julius Malombe over glaring inconsistencies in sand harvesting revenue, after records showed the county collects cess from only five trucks daily, earning about Sh11,000. Senators dismissed the explanation as unrealistic, accusing county officials of possible collusion with truck owners. Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua alleged a powerful cartel collects up to Sh6,000 per truck, issuing fake receipts to evade official cess. Malombe denied collusion, citing new laws and automated revenue systems to regulate sand harvesting and protect county income.
