Kitui Governor Julius Malombe has defended the county’s extensive network of over 390 bank accounts, attributing the large number primarily to Kitui’s vast network of health facilities and educational institutions.
Malombe appeared before the Senate Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations Committee to address concerns over the county’s complex banking structure.
“The reason why we have many health facility accounts is because Kitui has the highest number of health facilities in the Republic of Kenya,” Malombe stated, emphasizing that the county manages 308 facilities—more than any other county in the nation.
Each of these health facilities, along with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, requires a separate bank account, according to the governor.
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Governor Malombe outlined that Kitui County maintains 20 accounts at the Central Bank of Kenya, including a County Revenue Fund (CRF) account, a Development account, a Recurrent account, and 16 program-specific accounts. “Some of these programs have ended, and we just need to close them,” he explained, suggesting that efforts are being made to reduce the number of active accounts.
Acknowledging the concerns raised by the Senate Committee, Malombe advocated for a more streamlined approach to managing county finances. He proposed that the Council of Governors, the Controller of the Budget, and the Auditor General should discuss ways to align and improve the efficiency of county banking structures.
The Senate committee raised questions about the feasibility of significantly reducing the number of accounts, particularly given the need to effectively manage funds for TVETs and health facilities.
The issue of Kitui’s numerous accounts had also been highlighted in the 2022/2023 Audit Report for the county.
