COG chairman FCPA Ahmed Abdullahi,Governor for Wajir.
By IP reporter.
| August 2, 2025.
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP).
When Kenyans overwhelmingly endorsed the Constitution of Kenya 2010, they embraced more than a legal document—they chose a bold vision of equity, inclusion, and grassroots transformation through devolution.
Fifteen years later, that vision is under siege. Not because the concept of devolution is flawed—but because the way Kenya funds its 47 county governments is structurally broken.
Starving the Engine of Local Development
Devolution was meant to decentralize power and bring services closer to the people.
Instead, county governments have been reduced to beggars at the national table, relying on delayed disbursements and underfunded allocations that undercut their ability to deliver.
The Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) is tasked with ensuring equitable resource sharing. Yet what finally lands in county treasuries often reflects political convenience, not constitutional fidelity.
The current fiscal crisis—where counties go months without receiving their constitutionally mandated funds—isn’t just a technical glitch. It’s a systemic throttling of local governance.
“When you starve counties, you don’t just delay salaries—you delay roads, clinics, clean water, youth programs, and citizens’ dignity.”
The Hidden Cost of Delay and Inefficiency
The effects of erratic disbursement are devastating:
Health workers strike due to unpaid salaries.
Contractors abandon stalled public projects.
Clinics and water systems shut down, leaving wananchi to suffer.
Ironically, governors get the blame for failures orchestrated by a national treasury unwilling—or unable—to release funds on time.
Political Interference and Fiscal Weaponization
The funding model has also become a political tool. Governors perceived to be aligned with opposition parties are subtly punished through withheld or delayed funds.
Public finance, meant to be impartial, is instead wielded to enforce political loyalty.
This turns devolution from a development tool into a political hostage.
The Fix: Reforming the Funding Model
To safeguard the spirit and effectiveness of devolution, structural reforms are urgent:
Constitutional Amendments: Guarantee timelines for county disbursements—no more delays masked as “technical issues.”
Increased Allocations: Reflect the actual costs of devolved functions like health, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Automatic Disbursement: Create tech-based, depoliticized systems that transfer funds predictably and transparently.
Revenue Autonomy: Strengthen county capacities to raise and manage their own revenue streams without burdening citizens.
Devolution Must Not Die.
The real threat to devolution isn’t just county-level corruption—it’s a national government reluctant to let go of control.
Kenya cannot pretend to support devolution while tying its hands with fiscal chains.
If we continue down this path of delays, opacity, and political interference, we will bury one of our most progressive constitutional innovations under the weight of broken promises.
But if we choose equity, transparency, and timely funding, devolution can unlock prosperity and pride in all 47 counties.
The future of Kenya is devolved—but only if we choose to fund it, free it, and defend it.
Ends.
