Despite the allocation of billions of shillings into Counties in Kenya , the people of Kenya have yet to feel the benefits of devolution.
Devolution sought to bring government closer to the people by devolving political and economic resources to Kenya’s 47 county governments, to better address the local needs of Kenyans.
In the last 10 years, devolution could potentially have transformed the lives of the people of Kenya but, this has not happened, despite the accrual of substantial funds and political power; the billions of shillings that have gone into the Counties have not brought improvements.
Some sectors such as healthcare and water service provision have seen a decline or remained the same despite the billions that have been pumped into these sectors in the last 10 years .
The widespread allegations of corruption and misappropriation of public funds are reported across most of the country’s 47 counties and this has greatly demoralized Kenyans.
Blatant theft of public resources by county officials and the leadership, including governors, executives and other public officials have been stealing from the people.
Over the years, the office of the Auditor General has exposed massive misappropriation of resources and irregular procurement rules.
General public perception in the country is that the leaders are not serving the people’s interests, but are only enriching themselves with the resources with which they have been entrusted, with impunity and zero accountability. As a consequence, the electorates have given up and resigned themselves to their fate, leaving it to God to punish the thieving elites in Counties .
