Kwale, Kenya – Kwale County Governor Fatuma Achani on June 20 unveiled a resilient KSh 10.6 billion budget for the 2025/26 fiscal year, a spending plan that prioritizes the needs of the people despite a significant reduction in funding from the national government. The new budget is down from KSh 12 billion last year, a cut that reflects the tough economic realities facing the country. However, Governor Achani delivered a powerful message of reassurance, promising that the county's most critical services would be protected. “In the face of budget cuts, we’ve chosen to protect what matters most: the health of our people, the roads that connect them, and the water that sustains them,” she declared.

The governor's commitment is backed by a strong track record of delivery. Under her leadership, Kwale has already made remarkable strides in improving the lives of its residents, constructing or upgrading 178 health facilities and recruiting over 1,800 healthcare workers. The county has also dramatically expanded access to clean water, drilling 40 new boreholes, building 40 dams, and extending over 570 km of water pipelines. The road network has also been significantly improved, with more than 2,000 km of rural roads upgraded to enhance connectivity. The new budget, which was developed through a series of public participation forums across all 20 wards, is being hailed as a "people's budget," a testament to the county's commitment to a grassroots, citizen-led approach to governance.