Nairobi — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has launched a scathing attack on the leadership of Wajir County, questioning how nearly Sh200 billion in public funds disbursed since the advent of devolution has failed to translate into basic services for residents.
In a statement, Gachagua expressed disbelief that Wajir's governor, Ahmed Abdullahi, a two-term office holder and the current chairperson of the Council of Governors could publicly describe his own county as unattractive, insecure and lacking essential infrastructure after more than a decade of devolved governance.
"It is hard to understand how a sitting two term Governor and the current Chairman, Council of Governors can describe his own county this way after presiding over the spending of almost KES.200 Billion that were meant to fix exactly these basic challenges," Gachagua said.
He questioned why the county could not allocate even a fraction of its budget two shillings out of every thousand to resolve chronic water scarcity affecting residents, particularly women, children, orphans and widows who still walk long distances in search of water.
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The former Deputy President said the situation was especially painful as the holy month of Ramadan approaches, noting that many families continue to endure daily life without clean water, decent sanitation, electricity or functional health facilities.
"These are not luxuries. They are the bare minimum required for human life, human dignity and life's existence. Have some Naxariis for your people. SubhanaAllah !" Gachagua asserted.
Gachagua warned that county leadership would ultimately be judged not by media appearances in Nairobi but by tangible improvements in the lives of Wajir residents.He argued that residents were not demanding miracles, but basic services guaranteed under the Constitution.
To back his claims, Gachagua released detailed figures showing billions of shillings disbursed to Wajir's constituencies through multiple funding streams between 2013 and 2025.
Funds Disbursement
According to the data, each constituency received between Sh2.5 billion and Sh3.2 billion from a combination of the Exchequer, the Equalization Fund, Constituency Development Fund (CDF), and direct funding from development partners, including the World Bank, UN agencies and bilateral donors.
At the county level, the figures indicate total disbursements of approximately Sh192 billion, including over Sh105 billion from Treasury allocations, Sh75.7 billion from development partners, Sh9.9 billion through CDF and more than Sh1.1 billion from the Equalization Fund.
In Eldas Constituency, approximately Sh2.93 billion has been disbursed between 2013 and 2025. The funds include about Sh1.67 billion from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), Sh158 million from the Equalisation Fund, and roughly Sh1.09 billion from development partners and special programmes supported by bilateral and multilateral agencies.
Wajir South Constituency received an estimated Sh3.22 billion over the same period. According to the data, Sh1.68 billion came through CDF allocations, Sh336 million from the Equalisation Fund, while development partners and special programmes accounted for about Sh1.21 billion.
In Tarbaj Constituency, total disbursements stand at approximately Sh2.85 billion, comprising Sh1.70 billion in CDF funding, Sh197 million from the Equalisation Fund, and around Sh950 million from donor-supported and special development programmes.
Wajir North Constituency is shown to have received about Sh2.99 billion. Of this, Sh1.69 billion was allocated through CDF, Sh243 million from the Equalisation Fund, and close to Sh966 million from development partners and special interventions.
For Wajir East Constituency, total funding is estimated at Sh2.59 billion, including Sh1.73 billion in CDF allocations, Sh88 million from the Equalisation Fund, and about Sh765 million from donor-funded and special programmes.
Meanwhile, Wajir West Constituency received approximately Sh2.96 billion, with Sh1.68 billion coming from CDF, Sh165 million from the Equalisation Fund, and Sh1.11 billion from development partners and special national programmes.
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The figures, compiled from institutions including the Office of the Auditor-General, the Controller of Budget, the National Treasury, the Parliamentary Budget Office, KNBS and the Commission on Revenue Allocation, show that each constituency received between Sh2.5 billion and Sh3.2 billion over the 12-year period.
He accused the county leadership of presiding over decades of neglect, noting that Wajir still lacks a comprehensive sanitation system more than 60 years after independence and over 13 years since the introduction of devolution.
The DCP Leader warned that leaders would one day be called to account for their actions, urging fairness, justice and compassion in public service.
"For heaven's sake, fix the water problem, improve sanitation and ensure functional healthcare facilities," he said.
