By Anderson Ojwang
The Senate’s latest Fiscal Performance by Counties has finally laid the truth bare for the public to consume, with only 12 months to the General Election.
Homa Bay County and Governor Gladys Wanga, who after assumption of office has been ranked as a top performer by various pollsters, finally found herself in unfamiliar territory – position 28, down from the top ten.
Wanga has been oscillating between positions, but the Senate Report finally placed Wanga in position 28 nationally.
While Siaya Governor James Orengo, who had been getting negative ranking, was placed in position 17 and led in the region.
Kisumu Governor Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o was last both nationally and regionally.
Migori County Governor Ochilo Ayacko was ranked 21, ahead of Wanga. Kisii County Governor and ODM Deputy Party Leader Simba Arati was ranked 37, while Nyamira County was ranked in position 36.
Wanga’s ranking by pollsters
Since taking office in August 2022, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has consistently climbed the rankings in major national performance and approval polls.
Her performance tracking across the prominent Infotrak CountyTrak Index and major independent pollsters highlights her trajectory:
| Year | Pollster | National Ranking | Score / Approval Rating | Notes / Regional Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Infotrak | 4th nationally | 66% | 1st in Nyanza region |
| 2025 | Timely Kenya | 3rd nationally | 54% | Based on 3-year scorecard |
| 2024 | Infotrak | 3rd nationally | 61% | 1st in Nyanza region |
| 2024 | Politrack Africa | 7th nationally | 68.9% | Tied with Nandi Governor |
| 2023 | Infotrak | 29th nationally | 54% | Baseline year of evaluation |
| 2022 | Politrack Africa | Top 10 | 53.7% | Initial 8-month baseline poll |
Wanga’s most notable shift occurred between 2023 and 2024, when she jumped from 29th to 3rd place nationally in the Infotrak Performance Index.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga ranked fourth nationally and first in the Nyanza region in the August 2026 CountyTrak Performance Survey by Infotrak. She scored a 66% approval rating, tying with Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo.
Siaya Governor James Orengo has faced mixed performance rankings in recent public opinion surveys. While some localized or alternative metrics indicate moderate-to-high approval ratings, major pollsters like Infotrak have placed him lower down among county performance indices, sparking active local political debates ahead of the 2027 elections.
Former Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga said the report by the Senate was factual, as various sectors in Homa Bay had collapsed.
He said the ranking of Homa Bay and Wanga by various pollsters was not factual to the reality on the ground.
“We are happy that finally the truth has spoken. The Senate poll is the true position on the ground,” he said.
The County scorecard
Counties scored relatively higher, with a mean score of 0.557 and a maximum of 0.823, indicating that none of the counties were able to fully implement their budgets as approved. The minimum score of 0.156 and a standard deviation of 0.138 show inconsistencies in execution, with many counties still struggling to implement their budgets effectively and on time.
“C” Performing Counties
Thirty-five counties scored a “C” with indices ranging from 0.404 for Kakamega to 0.567 for Kitui.
For counties with at least 50% – such as Mandera (0.531), Nakuru (0.522), Samburu (0.509), West Pokot (0.547), Kilifi (0.541), Wajir (0.559), Siaya (0.502), Tana River (0.526), Trans Nzoia (0.523), Kericho (0.512), Bungoma (0.516), and Kwale (0.555) – budget absorption was generally strong among this group, particularly Kitui and Trans Nzoia, which had a score exceeding 86%, suggesting competent budget execution.
Most counties also maintained moderate compliance in development expenditure, with Marsabit and Mandera recording relatively higher scores, pointing to reasonable focus on capital investments.
However, own-source revenue performance and audit outcomes tended to be weaker across the group, with the majority of counties recording audit CFPMI scores of 0.375 except Kwale, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Kericho, and Bungoma, indicating room for improvement in financial accountability.
Additionally, county assembly expenditure scores varied, with Nakuru performing better (0.965) while Marsabit (0.302) lagged, which signals potential inefficiencies in legislative spending.
Overall, these counties exhibited stable but unexceptional performance, highlighting the need to enhance audit practices, strengthen local revenue mobilisation, and maintain discipline in county assembly expenditure to transition into higher-performing tiers.
