How grand corruption in the counties undermines devolution

In July last year, nearly 60 per cent of Kenyans regarded corruption as the biggest threat to devolution and the most pressing problem county governments should address in a key survey conducted by Transparency International-Kenya. Majority of Kenyans expressed their dissatisfaction with their county governments and only a handful, eight per cent, knew how much money was allocated to their respective counties. In August of the same year, the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission released a report detailing how county officials were looting public coffers through irregular deals and shady procurement contracts, amid revelations that nearly 30 counties were under investigations. The story was the same in 2014 when the Auditor General released his reports on various counties revealing widespread corruption in the counties.

Today, the same sorry state of affairs prevails in counties. Recent reports by the Controller of Budget revealed the massive wastage of public funds, misplaced priorities and poor administration of resources that continue unabated. At the recent governors' conference in Meru, President Uhuru Kenyatta warned governors that those stealing public resources would be treated like criminals, accusing them of 'picking the vice and running away with it'. Outrageous transactions of theft occur in some counties. Petitioners told a Senate committee this week how their county government procured a pipette for artificial insemination that costs Sh30 at an inflated cost of Sh875 per piece!