The Machakos County Civil Society Network has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Machakos County Assembly to reconvene and approve the 2026/2027 Budget, warning that it will seek legal redress and organize peaceful demonstrations if the Budget impasse is not resolved.
Addressing journalists in Machakos Town, the network accused both the County Executive and the County Assembly of allowing political differences to delay approval of the Budget beyond the June 30 deadline stipulated under Section 131 of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, 2012.
Network Chairperson, Freddy Lau, said residents were bearing the consequences of the prolonged stalemate through disrupted public services and delayed development projects.
“The people of Machakos cannot continue suffering because of political disagreements. If they fail to act within 24 hours, we will pursue legal action and organize peaceful demonstrations to defend the interests of Machakos residents,” said Lau.
He urged Members of the County Assembly to immediately reconvene, debate, and approve the Budget to restore normal service delivery across the County.
Committee member, John Mwaniki, criticized the Assembly for failing to discharge its constitutional mandate, saying members had the authority to approve the Budget with amendments or return it to the Executive for revision instead of allowing political disputes to stall the process.
“The County Assembly has the power to approve the Budget with or without amendments. If members have concerns, they should refer it back to the Executive instead of taking the matter to political rallies,” Mwaniki said.
The civil society network said the delayed Budget had adversely affected essential County services, citing uncollected garbage, overflowing sewage, inadequate medical supplies, poor street lighting, delayed payment of County staff salaries, and pending bills estimated at nearly Sh5 billion.
The group also warned that donor-funded development programmes, including the World Bank-supported Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) programme, risk stalling because the County cannot access the funds without an approved Budget.
Under the Public Finance Management Act, county governments are required to approve their annual budgets by June 30, to ensure uninterrupted service delivery from the beginning of the new Financial Year on July 1.
By the time of the briefing, the County Assembly had not announced plans for a special sitting, while leaders from both the Executive and the Assembly, had yet to respond to the civil society’s ultimatum.
By Mary Mutanu and Steve Kimeu
