Kitui County workers are struggling to meet basic household expenses after going nearly two months without salaries, with some employees saying they can no longer afford rent, transport and their children’s school fees.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The affected workers say the delay has left them in a difficult financial position, particularly as schools reopen and families face fresh expenses despite not receiving their regular income.

Some employees have been forced to negotiate with landlords for more time to pay rent, while others say they are struggling to raise money for daily transport to their workplaces.

“We cannot afford rent or transport. We are officers, but as of today we are not being taken as officers because we are negotiating with landlords,” one of the affected workers said.

📌 What You Need to Know

The workers say the situation has also affected their ability to provide for their families, with some parents unable to fully meet school fees and other requirements as their children return to school.

The Kitui salary crisis comes amid wider concerns over delays in payment of county government employees, with the Union of Kenya Civil Servants recently calling for measures to prevent workers from repeatedly bearing the consequences of administrative and budgetary challenges.

On August 24, the Union of Kenya Civil Servants termed salary delays affecting county employees unacceptable and called for the establishment of a permanent payroll management system to prevent similar disruptions in future.

Further, the union warned that workers should not be forced to bear the consequences of budget processes, political disagreements or administrative failures, noting that employees still have families to support, rent to pay and school fees to meet regardless of delays in county finances.

In Kitui, the salary delays have been linked to challenges surrounding the approval of the county budget, which have also affected some county operations and the delivery of services.

Kitui County Finance Executive Peter Kilonzo has, however, given the affected workers a timeline for when they expect the situation to be resolved. Kilonzo said county staff salaries are expected to be paid by September 11, 2026, at the latest, as the county works with relevant institutions to expedite the process.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke