By Anderson Ojwang’
Governor Kimani Wamatangi hardly speaks, but you feel and hear him through actions.
While the majority of his colleagues have been engaged in political theatrics, clout-chasing and attention-seeking, Wamatangi dived deep into development, the reason why Kiambu residents elected him.
“I am not engaging in politics currently like some of my colleagues. I know the problem of Kiambu and we have a huge population in the county. We don’t have large tracts of farms like other regions. I must plan and that is why I asked to be allowed to work until December. I will come with my scorecard,” he said.
And now the governor has released his scorecard for the public and the residents to mark and award scores ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He won the seat on a United Democratic Movement (UDA) ticket with approval of 42.7 per cent, accounting for 348,371 votes, and was followed by Patrick Wainaina, who received 237,361 votes, and third came former governor William Kabogo with 106,980 votes, while James Nyoro of Jubilee Party got 99,562 votes and Moses Kuria came last with 24,512 votes.
FOUR-YEAR SCORECARD
In his social media platforms, Wamatangi gave a detailed report on his performance from revenue collection to infrastructural development.
Wamatangi presided over the increment of own-source revenue (OSR) to Sh6.5 billion.
Before Wamatangi was elected governor, the OSR was at, as of the 2021/2022 Financial Year: Collected Sh3.15 billion out of a target of Sh4.3 billion, a 73.4% collection rate).
In the 2022/2023 Financial Year, the government collected Sh2.42 billion out of a target of Sh4 billion, a 71.5 per cent collection rate.
CRA Potential Assessment:
A 2022 assessment by the Commission on Revenue Allocation estimated Kiambu’s total annual own-source revenue potential much higher, at Sh13.95 billion.
“We increased our OSR to Sh6.5 billion during the 2025/2026 financial year. This amount is the highest ever realised by the county since devolution began in 2013, growing from KSh2.8 billion in 2022,” he said.
Governor Wamatangi said the milestone was achieved without increasing existing taxes, fees or levies, relying instead on streamlined collection systems and closing financial loopholes.
“Our target is that within the next three years, God willing, we are going to match a shilling for a shilling for every disbursement to this county and to those who have been watching to see whether the cup will fall, by 2028 this county will raise KSh11.5 billion plus and we shall be ensuring services in Kiambu are at the level we want,” Wamatangi stated.
ECDE and feeding programme
Governor Wamatangi presided over the construction of 512 new ECDE centres with comprehensive feeding programme that serves 52,000 learners in the county.
Medical tourism
Wamatangi moved to transform Kiambu as a medical tourism centre by building 32 new hospitals, with modernised medical equipment.
“We constructed six Level 4 hospitals, 26 Level 3 and fully equipped all the medical facilities in the county,” he said.
Wamatangi said his administration constructed 12,000 solar streetlights to enhance security and create a 24-hour economy in the county.
Apart from the streetlights, Wamatangi built seven bus parks, 26 markets and undertook 100,000 water connections.
“We upgraded 19 VTCs, supported over 750,000 farmers with farm inputs, developing nine stadia, now working on roads, bridges and drainage,” he said.
Politics
The Governor recently declared that he will not defend his seat on UDA party but will seek an alternative political.
“I have remained calm and I have got a good political party. I will be waiting to be re-elected. Some people think Wamatangi doesn’t know where he is going. I know where I am going. We cannot go back to that party,” he said.
He also said currently he was busy with the development projects and would embark on politics in January next year.
Wamatangi has reiterated that his focus remains on delivering on his 2022 campaign promises and that he will not be dragged into early campaigns that could put him off track from his development agenda.
“We have so far managed to undertake significant development, such as the construction of 512 ECDE centres, 6 Level Four hospitals, and 26 Level Three facilities and many others. But there are people who have been keen on pushing me to politics so that I can remove my sight from service delivery. That is what I have continuously faced: onslaughts, even an attempt on my personal life.”
“Their intention is that I can concentrate on this sideshow and forget my development agenda and get into political confrontation, and when the real campaign starts, the same characters will come with narratives that I am a non-performer who did not deliver. But I am not as foolish as they think. I will remain focused,” Wamatangi said.
