Youth groups in Machakos Town have vowed to hold daily demonstrations to pressure Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) to pass the full Machakos County budget.

The youth have accused County Assembly Speaker Ann Kiusya of colluding with a section of MCAs to derail development in the county by refusing to pass the full Sh17.8 billion budget for the 2026/2027 financial year, and instead passing a 50% vote-on-account to fund only essential operations.

Speaking in Machakos Town, the youth said the standoff has paralyzed key services including bursaries and youth programs, and called for urgent dialogue between Governor Wavinya Ndeti and the County Assembly to resolve the impasse.

Tension escalated after Governor Ndeti rejected the budget as amended by the County Assembly – which slashed Sh853 million – and returned it with a memorandum, saying the cuts were illegal and would cripple service delivery.

The County Assembly now has two weeks to reconsider the Governor’s memorandum.