By Anchor Writer

Machakos County is in the grip of a slow but certain paralysis.

A combination of administrative neglect, logistical breakdown, and what insiders describe as “critical infrastructure collapse” has left county departments unable to perform even the most basic functions.

From the outside, county offices may appear open — but inside, there’s little movement.

Staff now cover their desktop computers, not for dust protection, but because there is no meaningful work to be done. “If the trucks were these computers, you would find them covered too,” said a senior Director of Administration, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals.
According to insiders, the most basic supplies have run out: no printing paper, no toner, no office float.

The routine provisioning of tea and fuel — once taken for granted — has ceased.

Even more alarming is that the county’s insurance provider has withdrawn coverage, grounding both vehicles and operations.
Without internal printing capacity, staff now queue at private cybercafés, printing government documents on credit. It is a situation that not only compromises official data security but speaks to the total breakdown of internal systems.
The effects are most visible in departments that rely on physical equipment- like the Solid WasteManagement and Department of Roads and Transport.

The solid waste department, already the subject of an earlier Anchor investigation, is now barely functional. Equipment sharing between municipalities has become the norm.

A single backhoe loader or garbage compactor may serve Tala in the morning, Machakos by afternoon, and Mavoko by night — if it manages to move at all.
An inconsistent supply of fuel has made solid waste management unmanageable — a daily concern in Machakos municipalities where, ironically, the county government collects the largest share of revenue.
Meanwhile, employees in several departments have worked unpaid since 2023, raising serious questions about adherence to labour laws.
County officials admit that the situation is unsustainable. Attempts to launch the so-called Rapid Results Initiative to revive performance have failed.

Morale is at an all-time low. In some offices, staff have simply stopped trying since even basics like Daily Subsistence Allowances died a silent death except when it involves top honchos in the WhiteHouse.
“What keeps offices moving — the critical office infrastructure framework — is dead,” said the Director. “We are at a standstill.”
For a government that campaigned on promises of reform and delivery, the current state of collapse under Governor Wavinya Ndeti raises serious questions. Public frustration is mounting as visible signs of dysfunction — such as uncollected garbage, idle equipment, and silent offices — become harder to ignore.

This story, a follow-up to The Anchor’s earlier coverage of the solid waste management crisis, reveals a wider systemic failure. The county is not just struggling. It is, in many ways, grinding to a halt.

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