We must do more to curb the spread of graft to counties

Idd Mubarak to all! As Ramadhan comes to a close, a group of young Kenyans from North Eastern concluded a month-long arduous 1,000 km trek across the region dubbed ‘Walk of Hope’, to inspire confidence and restore hope. The movement by the group of professionals and activists is triggered by the growing insecurity, underdevelopment occasioned by historical isolation, and the imminent institutional collapse in the region, as well as the apparent indifference by the State. The group was hopeful that in the long term, it is in the interest of the residents to unite and liberate themselves from the choking yoke of insecurity, illiteracy and poverty.

The hopes of most parts of our nation, including North Eastern Kenya, lies in the successful devolution of power and resources to counties so that residents can prioritise their development needs to achieve a dignified level of progress. Two years into devolution, that hope is coming under serious pressure from our national vice of corruption that we have long argued will not be devolved to the counties.