By Anchor Writers
The Machakos County Government has announced a scale-down of operations over the December holiday period.
The move unfolds against a familiar backdrop of cash-flow strain, with staff proceeding on the break without their December salaries, as earlier predicted by The Anchor.
In a circular dated December 23, 2025, County Secretary and Head of Public Service Dr. Muya Ndambuki said county operations would be scaled down from 5.00pm on December 23 to 8.00am on January 5, 2026.
Although presented as a routine end-year administrative measure, the memo makes clear that the county is not shutting down. County Executive Committee Members and Chief Officers are required to remain fully operational, while key departments are placed on “significant alert.”
These include revenue collection, health services, fire and emergency response, water and sanitation, solid waste management, inspectorate services, street lighting, stadia management, and public parks.
In practice, the scale-down largely affects non-essential administrative staff, even as frontline and revenue-linked services are expected to continue uninterrupted through the festive season.
The structure of the memo points to a selective slowdown—one that lowers day-to-day operational costs without halting core functions.
The timing is revealing. As staff left for the holidays, December salaries had not been paid, extending a pattern of delayed wages that has persisted for months and highlighting a liquidity problem the county has yet to publicly address.
It comes as Governor Wavinya Ndeti flew to Zanzibar with her family and aides for a most likely county paid holiday trip.
Notably, the memo is silent on salary timelines, compensatory leave, or facilitation for staff required to remain on duty. Instead, it urges officers to conduct themselves in a manner that protects the image of the county government—language that contrasts sharply with the financial uncertainty facing workers.
By keeping revenue units on high alert while thinning out routine administrative activity, the county appears to be balancing service continuity against limited cash reserves.
It means essential services are expected to remain available for residents.
The holiday break comes as a pause without pay, reinforcing concerns that Machakos’ cash-flow challenges continue to shape administrative decisions—quietly, but decisively.
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