The guardians of devolution have fallen asleep at the wheel. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has issued a stinging rebuke to Members of County Assemblies (MCAs), warning that their passivity is allowing the dream of decentralized power to be hijacked by rogue county executives.

Speaking at the County Assemblies Forum, Mudavadi did not mince his words. He painted a picture of a legislative branch that has become subservient to the governors they are meant to check. By abdicating their oversight role, MCAs are complicit in the looting and mismanagement that has left many counties broke and broken. He reminded them that they are not subordinates to the executive; they are the people’s primary line of defense against corruption.

The Oversight Crisis

The Prime CS identified a dangerous trend where assemblies are "captured" through patronage, reducing them to rubber stamps for county budgets. He called for a revival of the fiery independence that characterized the early days of devolution, urging MCAs to use their impeachment powers not as blackmail, but as a tool for accountability.

• Constitutional Duty: Mudavadi stressed that the constitution empowers assemblies to summon, question, and sanction county officials—powers that are currently underutilized.
• The Ward Fund: He supported the anchoring of the Ward Development Fund in law, arguing that financial independence is the only way to insulate MCAs from executive manipulation.
• Legislative Quality: The speech highlighted a decline in the quality of county bills, with many assemblies failing to pass legislation that addresses local economic needs.

A Call to Action

"You are the ones who must ask the hard questions," Mudavadi challenged the packed hall. "If you are silent, you are part of the problem. Reclaim your space, or the voters will reclaim it for you."

This intervention from the national government signals a shift in strategy. Nairobi is no longer willing to watch from the sidelines as counties fail; they are now actively inciting the local legislatures to wake up and do their job.