Kindiki Among 4 CSs Who Visited Their Home County The Least- Report
The CS was ranked joint third with his Transport counterpart, Kipchumba Murkomen at 2 per cent each, only behind their colleagues Davis Chirchir (Energy) and Njuguna Ndung'u (Treasury).
Marvin Chege 
Despite Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki holding the record for the most number of county visits, he is among four CSs who have visited their home county the least according to Nairobi-based research firm Trends and Insights For Africa (TIFA).
The CS was ranked joint third with his Transport counterpart, Kipchumba Murkomen at 2 per cent each, only behind their colleagues Davis Chirchir (Energy) and Njuguna Ndung'u (Treasury) who topped at 1 per cent.
Following behind the top four was Tourism CS Alfred Mutua at 4 percent with his Foreign Affairs counterpart and Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi visiting his home county 5 percent of the time.
Environment CS Soipan Tuya visited her home county 6 per cent of the time.
Environment CS, Soipan Tuya speaking during the Africa Climate Summit on September 8, 2023. /MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
At 7 per cent were Susan Nakhumicha (Health), Moses Kuria (Public Service), Rebecca Miano (Trade) and Ababu Namwamba (Sports).
Some CSs however made more trips to their home counties including Salim Mvurya (Mining), Ezekiel Machogu (Education), Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, Njeru, and ICT CS Eliud Owalo.
"The visits to home counties not only hold the potential for acquiring political leverage but also serve as a meaningful and calculated approach to garnering support for 2027," read part of the report from TIFA's survey.
As earlier mentioned, Kindiki led in terms of the number of local trips across the 47 counties followed by Labour CS Florence Bore, and Water CS Zachary Njeru. Mutua recorded the least activities in the period under review followed by Defence CS Aden Duale.
Out of 47 counties, the Interior CS visited 41, Nakhumicha 36, Njeru 27 and Bore, Mudavadi and Kuria 26. On the other hand, Mutua only toured six counties while Chirchir and Ndung'u visited 11.
Most of the activities were concentrated in Nairobi accounting for 54 per cent, Rift Valley at 14, Coast at 10, Eastern at 7, Central at 6 Nyanza at 5, Western at 3 and North Eastern at 1 per cent.
Foreign Trips
The Interior CS fell way behind internationally alongside Machogu at 0 trips, perhaps underscoring the importance of their roles in the country's two critical sectors; interior administration and security as well as education.
Murkomen, Aisha Jumwa (Gender) and Nakhumicha all followed behind the two CSs with 2 per cent.
"There is no documented evidence of foreign trips linked to the roles of Kithure Kindiki (interior) and Ezekiel Machogu (education) in 2023.
"On the contrary, Alfred Mutua (Tourism/Wildlife and previously Foreign Affairs), had the highest tally of foreign trips within the scope of his duties. Given the international nature of his ministerial portfolios, extensive travel is an inherent expectation. He is followed by Moses Kuria (previous in Trade and now in Public Service)," TIFA stated.
Other than Mutua and Kuria, Mvurya, Ndung'u and Mudavadi completed the top five list. Mutua accounted for 28 per cent of his trips, with Kuria, Mvurya, Ndung'u and Mudavadi following closely at 16, 14, 13 and 12 per cent respectively.
There were a total of 2,741 activities analyzed by TIFA. Out of these, 203 were foreign travel, with the research firm warning of the economic dangers of excessive spending on foreign trips by government coffers.
"Foreign travel is expensive, and excessive spending on trips can strain government finances, especially during challenging economic periods. This can contribute to budgetary constraints and may divert resources that could be better utilized for essential domestic needs. This travel can be justified if there is a return on investment (ROI)," read part of the report.
TIFA though underlined that the foreign trips showcased just how economic ties and partnerships between Kenya and destination countries were being cultivated as alternative means of bolstering service delivery countrywide.
