Nyeri County Emerges Second Most Transparent County in Kenya

Nyeri County, under the leadership of the Governor, H.E Mwalimu Dr. Mutahi Kahiga, PhD, EGH, was delighted to receive four prestigious awards during the launch of the County Budget Transparency Survey (CBTS) 2025 by Bajeti Hub, where the county was ranked the second most transparent county overall in Kenya. The top five counties in the survey were Makueni, Nyeri, Nakuru, Busia, and West Pokot. This remarkable achievement reflects the administration’s unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and prudent management of public resources.

During the event, Nyeri County was recognized for providing the most comprehensive Annual Development Plan (ADP), producing the most comprehensive County Budget Review and Outlook Paper (CBROP), emerging as the second most transparent county in Kenya, and being the top-performing county in the timeliness of publishing budget documents.

According to the survey findings, Nyeri County published seven out of the ten key budget documents within the required timelines and scored 88 out of 100 points on the availability of budget information to the public. The report further noted that Nyeri has remained consistent in making key budget documents publicly accessible, demonstrating the county’s commitment to transparency and citizen engagement.

Particularly encouraging is the significant improvement in public participation, which rose from a score of 22 out of 100 in the previous survey to 59 out of 100 this year. This progress reflects continued efforts to ensure that wananchi have a voice in decisions that shape the county’s development agenda.

Bajeti Hub, the organization behind the survey, is a Kenyan non-profit committed to promoting open, inclusive, and equitable public budgeting. Its work seeks to ensure that public budget decisions are transparent, public resources are fairly distributed, and citizens have access to budget information and meaningful opportunities to participate in the budget-making process while holding governments accountable.

The County Treasury and Economic Planning team, county staff, stakeholders, and the people of Nyeri are commended for their collective contribution to this success. This recognition belongs to all of Nyeri and affirms that the efforts to build a transparent and accountable government are yielding tangible results.

This latest recognition adds to a growing list of accolades that Nyeri County has earned over the years. In 2023, the Governor was honoured with the Leadership and Governance Award during the Diaspora One Voice Consortium Expo Gala in Washington, D.C. The county has also been recognized as the best-performing county in the timely payment of employees’ pensions and clearance of outstanding debts, while the Finance Team was ranked first nationally by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) for adherence to procurement laws and regulations.

These achievements reaffirm the resolve to build a county government that is transparent, accountable, and responsive to the needs of its people. The county will continue working tirelessly to ensure that every public resource is utilized effectively for the benefit of the residents of Nyeri County.