Kenyans know who’s eating their money

NAIROBI: One of the most significant changes outlined in the 2010 Constitution is devolution. The primary objective of devolution was to delegate power, transfer resources, and provide for extensive representation down to the grassroots level.
This was revolutionary in many ways because the transformation in the governance landscape across the country is profound.

For long, many had romanticised about the prospects offered by a devolved system of government; that the county governments would be an uplifting departure from the defunct local governments best remembered for their inertia, rot and wasteful spending of public resources; that it would spur competition in trade and commerce, education, better infrastructure and job opportunities.

In their hearts and minds, many Kenyans regularly participate in their own governance which aim is to deliver the promise of faster development and access to basic amenities and services. Unfortunately, in the last three years the devolved units have been in the news for the wrong reasons.

The media and other pundits have made the impression that all is not well in the counties because regrettably, some of the county governments have metamorphosed into centres for the show of power and might and uninhibited consumption of public funds. No doubt, allegations of corruption have overshadowed the positive contribution of devolution.

It is true that many county officials are corrupt. It is also true that a number of governors and county executives have grown rich overnight. Who can explain away the gigantic mansions and state-of-art juggernauts we see on our roads nowadays?

We also know that when the devolved funds are well utilized, we see tremendous progress. One such example is the county government of Wajir. Wajir is unique because before devolution it was one of the poorest counties where provision of basic services by the central government was virtually non-existent.

I visited Wajir before devolution kicked in. I found patients sharing hospital beds with little or no medicine and relatives delivered food to them. There was only one medical doctor in the whole of Wajir County. Fast forward to 2016; there are now more than 15 medical doctors and specialists in the hospital. Births through Caesarean Section have been successful even in the sub-county hospitals as witnessed recently in Habaswein 100 km away from the county headquarters.

Last Friday, the Jeff Koinange Live show on KTN featured Wajir County. In a show dubbed Wajir is Rising, devolution manifests itself very well in counties where the leadership have invested revenue wisely like in Wajir. Coincidentally, an Ipsos survey that was released the same week showed Wajir as the best county where support for devolution was anchored mainly in the better state of health services.

Besides that, the residents enjoy clean water after 200 boreholes were sunk. In Griftu, one of the sub counties, residents use pre-paid metres for their water services. In that show, Governor Ahmed Abdullahi is seen explaining the improvement in the health services. More women are now delivering their babies safely at the health facilities more than at any other time.

This has consequently reduced maternal child deaths that were once prominent. In the Ipsos survey, surprisingly 64 per cent of the people in the former North Eastern Province said health services have immensely improved under devolution. Contrast that with the now common cases of strikes that have paralysed health services in other counties.

The respondents of the survey seem to generally support devolution as a good way of governance. There is appreciation in the fact that access to government services is closer to the people. And that someone knows, cares and understands their issues.

According to the survey, there seems to be a variation based on region and political persuasion in this. Areas under CORD governors have given more support to devolution. Perhaps because they feel they have to do more for their people. Meanwhile, Jubilee-led counties have shown less enthusiasm to devolution than Cord counties.

In the survey, it seems the citizens are in agreement that devolution has achieved its intended purpose; that there is an increase in access to public services such as health and water. There is also a positive reaction to availability of public participation as a tool to increase citizen involvement in policy and decision making.

The survey shows (and surprisingly so) that governors are better appreciated than the senators and members of the county assembly (MCAs). Suffice to say, close to a half of the governors are likely to retain their seats.

In contrast, fewer senators (those keen to contest again) and MCAs are likely to be re-elected. Recently, I conducted an impromptu and a not so objective survey in Isiolo and asked the residents what they thought of devolved governments.

When I asked why they wholeheartedly supported county governments yet they have accused it of corruption and misappropriation of funds. I got a rather surprising response: “Previously, money was being eaten in Nairobi, but now money is eaten locally... we know who is eating our money and we will catch up with them soon.” Yet despite the obvious challenges, counties still offer the greatest opportunity for equal development across the country.