Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has been ranked the second-best performing governor in Kenya by Mizani Africa, scoring an impressive 69.1% in the latest national ranking. The top spot was claimed by Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata, who garnered 73.3%. While Kang’ata led the pack, it is Wavinya’s rapid rise through determined, development-focused leadership that is turning heads and inspiring hope. Her vision for Machakos to become the gold standard of devolution is no longer a distant dream, but an unfolding reality powered by bold decisions and people-driven policies.
Governor Wavinya’s tenure has become a case study in effective county governance. In just three years, her administration has tarmacked five major roads with the ambitious Katangi-Kithimani Road currently underway bringing long-awaited connectivity to once-forgotten regions. Her flagship Machakos Youth Service has opened doors for thousands of young people to access **free technical training, creating a generation equipped to build and own their future. She has equally prioritized grassroots empowerment: women’s groups have received tents, chairs, and utensils to generate income, while bodaboda men’s groups have been equipped with car wash machines to grow their Saccos. These aren’t token gestures they are strategic, lasting investments in dignity and livelihood.
In education and healthcare, Governor Wavinya has gone beyond the call of duty. Her universal feeding program for ECDE learners, which includes free milk, has made Machakos a national model in early childhood care. She has overseen the construction of modern ECDE classrooms and expanded bursary allocations to ensure no child is left behind. Her transformation of healthcare includes the completion of the Muindi Mbingu Level 6 Hospital, and major upgrades at Masii, Matuu, and Mavoko health centres. By cleaning up the county payroll and eliminating ghost workers, she restored integrity and by raising own-source revenue from KSh1.1 billion to KSh2 billion, she’s now steering Machakos toward a KSh4 billion target, showcasing rare financial acumen.
Despite political sabotage, sexist attacks, and persistent propaganda from some male rivals unsettled by her rise, Governor Wavinya has remained unshaken. Her response has never been noise it has been results. She has distributed over 4,000 Galla goats, improved kienyeji chicks, supplied free fertilizers and pesticides to farmers, and graded roads in all 40 wards. Wavinya Ndeti is proving that leadership isn’t about loud rhetoric but tangible impact. In a political field still struggling to accept powerful women, she has not only broken the mold she is rewriting the blueprint. As 2027 draws near, her record speaks for itself, and her challengers are left scrambling. Machakos has found its champion and Kenya is beginning to take notice.
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