Verdict out on Kenyan governors’ performance

After three years of devolved governments we should reflect soberly on the merits and demerits of this system. We have expended nearly Sh300 billion to devolved governments since 2013. And as the third devolution conference took place in Meru County this week, majority of Kenyans have mixed feelings on the gains and misses of this governance structure. It is therefore in order for the 47 county governments and their governors to ask themselves pertinent questions even as the 2017 elections loom. Have they delivered on their pre-election pledges? Are they happy with their progress? Are their constituents’ lives better than they were before 2013?

Besides playing politics and fighting to retain their seats, the 47 governors must face Kenyans now and genuinely explain their significance. Have they improved education through infrastructure and bursaries for the needy? Have they equipped public hospitals with drugs, machines and necessary staff? Are their constituents still travelling long distances to get medication? Have they improved roads and made transport of goods and people better than before 2013? What creative ideas have they birthed in the agricultural sector? Are farmers adding value to their harvests and earning better incomes? This should be the moment of truth after three years of devolution. Kenyan voters must now separate performing governors from slackers and the outright corrupt.

Some governors, apart from seeking all ways of stealing public funds, have no clue how to develop their counties. They have shunned any kind of innovation and embraced trivial projects that only gobble up billions of shillings. Kenyans must now make a choice. We must not be blinded by handouts and flamboyance.

For many years, public resources were appropriated in a skewed manner and that is why Kenyans voted overwhelmingly for the 2010 Constitution, whose anchor was devolution. The drafters envisioned equitable distribution of the national cake among the 47 counties. Three years down the road, we must also address the challenges facing devolution. Besides the constant altercations between the county governments and the Treasury on cash allocations, there are also capacity challenges. Some county governments hired staff unable to deliver services. Other teething problems like decisions on where to erect county offices have not been resolved in some counties. We should demand more from our county governments.