Astonishing leaders voice concerns over the future of devolution, experiencing escalating financial pressures
In Kenya, the devolution process – designed to bring services closer to the people and address regional disparities – is facing significant challenges. The 2025 Devolution Conference, held from August 12-15 in Homa Bay, emphasised these issues and proposed solutions to accelerate development and close socio-economic divides.
Former Kiambu Governor James Nyoro opened the conference, highlighting corruption and misuse of resources as major obstacles to service delivery. He explained that counties often go for three months without funds, a delay in disbursement that cripples county operations.
According to Nyoro, corruption starts from the top of governance and extends to the bottom, leading to reduced trust and inefficiency. He warned that without goodwill from the national government, devolution could stall.
The Auditor General's 2022/2023 report revealed that counties spent Sh1 billion on foreign trips, with Nairobi spending the most at Sh188 million. However, the conference did not delve into the benefits or lack thereof from many foreign trips labelled as training or benchmarking tours.
Strained relations between governors and Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) also slow down projects, according to Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi. Yet, Nyoro did not make any claims about county assemblies being the most corrupt.
Many of these foreign trips, criticised for their questionable benefits, are part of a broader issue of wasteful spending and misplaced priorities. Perceptions of large government expenses that could be controlled or reduced to allocate more funds to service delivery have been a point of contention.
Governance issues, including power struggles, affect the stability and coordination within devolved units, disrupting smooth administration and impacting the realization of devolution’s goals. Delayed disbursements of funds from the national government to counties cause financial bottlenecks, affecting planning and implementation of county projects and services.
Despite these challenges, devolution continues to play a critical role in promoting equity, inclusion, and social justice by bringing services closer to the people and addressing regional disparities. The theme of the conference, 'For the People, For Prosperity: Devolution as a Catalyst for Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice,' underscores this commitment.
The conference, attended by all 47 governors and hosted by Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, emphasised the need for re-engineering county governments to overcome the persistent challenges. Focusing on transparency, efficient resource use, and stronger intergovernmental relations, the conference aims to foster a conducive environment for devolution to thrive and fulfill its promise of equitable and effective local governance.
Nyoro concluded by stating that it is everyone's responsibility to stop corruption and ensure that public resources are used effectively. He emphasised that if governance and integrity are not fixed from the top, public resources will continue to be lost. The 2025 Devolution Conference serves as a platform for leaders to discuss and address these challenges, paving the way for a more accountable and efficient devolution process in Kenya.
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