More than Sh4 trillion has flowed to counties since 2013, but devolution is now staring at a crisis of credibility amidst unchecked spending.

Since its historic and highly celebrated inception in 2013, devolution was widely hailed as the ultimate, constitutional silver bullet for Kenya's deeply entrenched historical inequalities. Yet, over a decade later, the foundational dream of decentralized governance is being systematically suffocated by rampant greed, gross financial mismanagement, and the cynical weaponization of legislative oversight.

With trillions of shillings disbursed from the national treasury, the glaring, painful disconnect between astronomical funding and actual, tangible grassroots development is impossible to ignore. Restoring the core integrity of the 47 county governments is no longer merely a political necessity; it is an absolute, urgent moral imperative for the long-term economic survival and stability of the Kenyan nation.

The Collapse of Institutional Oversight

The fundamental premise of devolution was elegant in its simplicity: bring vital resources and critical decision-making power directly to the people. However, the reality on the ground has mutated into a deeply disturbing narrative of unchecked, decentralized plundering. The critical mechanisms designed to protect public funds have fundamentally collapsed under the immense, crushing weight of political ambition, bitter personal rivalries, and profound institutional weakness.

County Assemblies, constitutionally mandated to fiercely police the executive branches, have largely failed in their sacred duty. When Members of County Assembly (MCAs) critically lack the necessary financial resources, technical expertise, and true political independence, public accountability quickly degenerates into pure, theatrical farce. In numerous instances, oversight hearings have been shamelessly hijacked, transformed from rigorous financial audits into loud, premature campaign platforms for the 2027 gubernatorial elections. When scrutiny is undeniably driven by malice rather than merit, it entirely loses its constitutional legitimacy.

A Pipeline for Unchecked Spending

The staggering sum of over KES 4 trillion has flowed into county coffers, yet across massive swathes of the country, citizens cannot point to the high-quality infrastructure, the reliable health services, or the sustained economic gains that would logically justify the massive scale of these financial allocations.

• The Impunity Epidemic: When specialized investigative agencies repeatedly sit on damning Senate audit recommendations year after year without initiating prosecutions, a toxic culture of impunity rapidly hardens. Reports are meticulously written, stern recommendations are formally issued, yet absolutely nothing happens.
• Executive Arrogance: In the total absence of credible, non-partisan oversight, county executives inevitably grow bolder in their financial indiscretions, while citizens grow increasingly, justifiably angrier at the horrific state of local public services.
• The Weaponization of the Senate: Governors frequently, and sometimes accurately, accuse sitting senators of outright political extortion, utilizing the threat of crippling audits to extract illegal, personal financial concessions.

Restoring the Promise of Devolution

Devolution was explicitly, constitutionally designed to be a powerful vehicle for regional equity, poverty eradication, and rapid localized development. It was absolutely never meant to be a heavily funded feeding trough for a new, highly localized class of political elites.

To arrest this dangerous, downward trajectory, immediate and decisive action is required across three critical fronts. First, there must be a radical return to credible, strictly non-partisan legislative oversight that prioritizes the taxpayer over the politician. Second, national anti-corruption and investigative agencies must demonstrate immediate, ruthless, and decisive action against well-documented county-level graft. Finally, county assemblies must be properly resourced and legally shielded to guarantee their absolute independence.

A Warning to the Nation

The undeniable truth is that Kenya simply cannot afford to let the grand experiment of devolution fail. However, without immediate, systemic reforms, billions of shillings will continue to needlessly flow into a black hole of corruption, and irreplaceable public trust will continue to drain away entirely.

"If the current trajectory of decentralized theft is not violently interrupted, devolution will not be remembered as the savior of the Kenyan periphery, but as the mechanism that officially democratized our national corruption," concludes a prominent Nairobi governance watchdog.