In a resounding testament to efficient governance and visionary leadership, Isiolo County has emerged as Kenya’s undisputed champion in development budget absorption for the first quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year, according to the latest report from the Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o.
Released this week, the Controller of Budget’s quarterly economic analysis reveals that Isiolo County achieved the highest absorption rate of its approved development expenditure among all 47 counties in the critical July–September 2024 period—the very beginning of the financial year when most counties traditionally struggle to spend.
A Masterclass in Fiscal Discipline and Proactive Planning
The remarkable performance did not happen by chance. Sources close to the county administration attribute the success to Governor Guyo’s hands-on leadership style, which prioritizes early and meticulous planning long before the financial year begins.
It also relies on streamlined and transparent procurement processes that eliminate delays, real-time monitoring and supervision of flagship projects across all 10 wards, and a zero-tolerance policy for bureaucracy that slows down development.
These deliberate strategies enabled Isiolo to hit the ground running, channeling funds directly into transformative infrastructure, water projects, health facilities, and education initiatives the moment the new financial year commenced.
“Isiolo’s top ranking is proof that when leadership is decisive, accountable, and people-centered, public resources translate into tangible results from day one,” a senior county official told journalists shortly after the report’s release.
Stark National Contrast Highlights Isiolo’s Exceptional Performance
While Isiolo celebrates this milestone, the Controller of Budget’s report paints a worrying picture for the rest of the country: more than 20 counties recorded zero or near-zero development absorption in the same period, several counties are yet to award a single tender three months into the financial year, and billions of shillings meant for roads, hospitals, ECDE classrooms, and water projects remain unspent.
This glaring disparity underscores the efficiency gap between Governor Guyo’s administration and many of its peers, reinforcing Isiolo’s growing reputation as a model of devolution success in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid north.
What Isiolo’s Top Ranking Means for Residents
For the people of Isiolo, the numbers translate into visible progress: ongoing tarmacking of key urban roads in Isiolo Town and Garbatulla, completion of modern maternity wings and equipping of rural health centers, drilling and equipping of strategic boreholes in drought-prone areas, and construction of state-of-the-art ECDE classrooms across the county.
Residents and local leaders have hailed Governor Guyo as the architect of this turnaround, with many describing the county’s top national ranking as “well-deserved recognition of sleepless nights and relentless follow-ups by the Governor and his team.”
A Blueprint for Other Counties?
As devolution enters its second decade, Isiolo’s stellar performance offers a ready blueprint for struggling counties: plan early, procure transparently, monitor religiously, and put people first.
With this latest achievement, Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo has once again placed Isiolo County firmly on the national map—not as a hardship region, but as Kenya’s shining example of what focused, accountable leadership can achieve even with limited resources.
Isiolo is not just absorbing budgets—it is absorbing hope, delivering progress, and redefining possibilities under Governor Guyo’s transformative stewardship.
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