The Tharaka Nithi County Government is now set to have functioning County Government offices for the first time since the advent of devolution 13 years ago.
The building, which has been under construction for over 10 years is now undergoing final touches ushering a new dawn for the county that has operated in mabati structures since inception.
The Tharaka Nithi County headquarters construction is one of five counties that the national government earmarked for support because they had to start their headquarters afresh after the advent of devolution.
Tharaka Nithi, alongside Isiolo, Lamu, Tana River and Nyandarua counties, has been pushing for resources from the exchequer, but little has been forthcoming.
Under the deal, the counties were to appropriate 30% of the total budget toward construction, while the National Government was to support the remaining 70% through budgetary allocations. However, over the years, the national government’s funding has dried up, forcing the counties to dig deeper to fund the headquarters.
Despite the monies being appropriated in the last few budgets, disbursements were either effected to a small portion, or not effected at all.
In presenting the budget estimates Tuesday afternoon, Finance CECM Lawrence Rweria said that disbursements from the National Government stopped long ago, so the county, which has been under pressure from residents, had to seek the assembly’s approval for completion.
Apart from the mabati structure in Kathwana, where the headquarters sit, other county officers have operated from offices in towns such as Chuka, Chogoria and Marimanti, which belonged to the defunct county councils.
The members of the county assembly, led by Budget Committee Chair and Karingani MCA Murithi Gaturo, toured the building, inspecting the ongoing works before finishing and commissioning it in the 2026/2027 financial year which starts next week.
The County Government has invested about KES 300 million for the completion of the offices over the years.
Gaturo says despite the budgetary allocations from the county, the national government should honor its pledge and reimburse the county the money so it can attend to other pressing needs for the people.
Tharaka Nithi is among the five county governments the National Government identified for support to construct county headquarters.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson and Karingani ward MCA Mr Murithi Gaturo and Majority Leader and Magumoni MCA Justin Kithinji said the new building would provide a conducive working environment for the workers who have been working from hot Mabati buildings since 2013.
Kithinji also noted that the building would centralize service
The assembly leadership noted that they could not wait further because Governor Njuki had promised to ensure workers move out of the temporary offices before the end of his second term.
