Stop blame-game and duplicity of functions to make devolution work

A dangerous trend is cropping up — that of the national government and counties always working at cross-purposes. This, coupled with the fact that the two levels are bleeding from pervasive corruption, should worry every Kenyan concerned about the country’s economic health.

Yesterday, Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya delivered the State of Devolution speech in which he gave details of the teething legal and constitutional obstacles facing devolution. Key among them, he said, was the tendency by the national government to ‘take back’ already devolved functions. He also cited endemic funding delays that have dragged counties into debts amounting to billions of shillings. Oparanya also highlighted several success areas, including scaling up of documentation and sharing of innovations and good practices. The devolved units, he said, have formed viable economic blocs to share resources and secure external markets.