How governors spend billions on development with little to show

 

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki addresses the media after a meeting with Council of Governors at his official residence in Karen, Nairobi, on December 13, 2024. [File, Standard]

Since 2013, the five counties of Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo and Marsabit have spent Sh443 billion on their recurrent and development budgets.

The counties, which are part of the Frontier Counties Economic Bloc, have been among the leading spenders on development projects.

Of the Sh443 billion spent over the more than 10 years since the first governors took office, data shows that 35.9 per cent — or Sh158.86 billion — went to development projects. This compares with Sh284.3 billion, or 64.1 per cent, spent on recurrent expenditure.

Data from the Controller of Budget (COB) shows that some of the counties spent more than half of their budgets on development in the early years of devolution and consistently outperformed major economic hubs such as Nairobi and Kisumu in development spending. Despite the billions spent, however, residents of northern Kenya continue to grapple with penury.

Analysts cite a mix of misplaced priorities and poor leadership by governors, as well as failure by county assemblies and the Senate to hold county leaders to account.

They also note that the national government has viewed the region through a political lens, relegating development concerns — a factor they say has contributed to the continued underdevelopment of the north.

Thus, despite vast potential in livestock production, renewable energy, tourism, and oil and gas, the northern Kenya region — stretching from the Indian Ocean to the borders of Ethiopia and Uganda — remains a significantly untapped economic bloc.

Kevin Osido, Executive Director of County Governance Watch (CGW), said that while governors have spent heavily on development, they have directed funds to projects that do not impact people’s lives.

“One of the biggest challenges is misplaced priorities and lack of effective engagement with citizens. The money that is invested in development projects is not felt by the citizens because of the poor choice of projects,” he said.

“There has been a focus on infrastructure, but it is not in roads or other impactful infrastructure. The infrastructure we are talking about is buildings — largely the office of the governor, the county assembly and the office of the speaker. Those kinds of projects do not relate to the realities of the lives of citizens.”

Among the counties that have consistently spent more on development is Mandera, which nationally ranks second only to Kilifi County.

According to COB reports, Mandera has since 2013 spent Sh51.86 billion on development projects. This translates to 41.5 per cent of the county’s total spending between the 2013/14 and 2024/25 financial years.

Over the period, Mandera spent a total of Sh124.94 billion, of which Sh73.02 billion went to recurrent expenditure, including salaries, maintenance and operations.

Development spending was higher in the initial years of devolution. For instance, in the 2016/17 financial year, the county spent Sh5.83 billion — or 57 per cent of the Sh10.2 billion spent that year — on development.

The trend has, however, shifted, and in recent years recurrent expenditure has outweighed development spending.

In the year to June 2025, Mandera spent 32 per cent of its budget on development projects, still above the 30 per cent minimum required under the Public Finance Management Act.

A similar trend is seen in several counties that form the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) regional economic bloc.

Wajir County has, since the 2013/14 financial year, spent Sh104.66 billion in total, of which 36 per cent — or Sh37.6 billion — went to development. In the 2013/14 financial year, 59 per cent of its budget was spent on development projects.

In later years, this reversed, and in the 2024/25 financial year development spending stood at 31.7 per cent of total expenditure.

Marsabit has also used Sh32 billion — 41 per cent of its Sh78 billion total expenditure — on development over the period.

Turkana County followed a similar pattern, spending more on development in the initial years. In the 2014/15 financial year, the county spent Sh5.78 billion on development, significantly higher than the Sh3.23 billion spent on recurrent expenditure.

Baringo County has not fared well in development spending despite being classified as marginalised. Led by Governor Chesire Cheboi, the county is currently ranked among the lower-performing counties in Kenya in terms of development expenditure.

Recent reports indicate extremely low budget absorption in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years. The Controller of Budget has highlighted the county for recording minimal or zero development spending in some reporting periods, placing it alongside counties such as Lamu and Kajiado in terms of slow or stagnant development.

Baringo is generally considered one of the less developed semi-arid counties, with a significant proportion of its population — 56.6 per cent — living in poverty.

Across the region, development spending has in recent years averaged around 31 to 32 per cent of total budgets. High spending on development has not, however, translated into improved living standards for residents.

“Based on my own observation as a resident of the region, despite the billions pumped into development projects, nothing appears to have changed for residents,” said Abdirashid Mohamed, a lawyer and Mandera North MP aspirant.

“Health facilities remain under-equipped, forcing patients to buy medicine out of pocket. Water supply remains unreliable despite yearly multi-million-shilling investments in water projects.

“Schools are underfunded and we risk bequeathing to future generations the low literacy levels seen in the region — as low as 20 per cent in some counties compared to the national average of 83 per cent.”

He also raised concerns about the declining share of development budgets, with counties now devoting more resources to recurrent spending.

“The rising share of recurrent spending could be due to a growing workforce, increased administrative costs or, worse, devolved corruption. Whatever the case, these counties must prioritise development spending but also spend on projects that change the lives of residents,” Mohamed said.

The frontier counties have focused heavily on disaster management rather than long-term structural solutions. Osido noted that in drawing up budgets, counties “overconcentrate” on disaster response and management instead of sustainable interventions.

“There is little funding to sustainably address these challenges. In forums on ASAL development, we have recommended that counties invest in sustainable projects such as dams that would transform lives, but these are rarely considered,” he said.

Osido, whose organisation works in some frontier counties, noted that governors are often detached from the realities of their people, stemming from spending limited time in their counties and governing largely from Nairobi.

The result, he said, is long queues at county offices that are rarely attended to, as well as investor and donor queries that go unanswered.

He acknowledged structural challenges, including the vast size and sparse population of the region. The 10 counties that make up the Frontier Counties Economic Bloc occupy 63 per cent of Kenya’s land mass but account for only 11 per cent of the population, meaning higher costs in delivering services.

North Eastern leaders have decried what they describe as historical neglect stemming from policies adopted at independence and pursued by successive administrations.

Dr Ali Maalim, Deputy Governor of Mandera County, said in a local television interview this week that policies such as Sessional Paper No. 10 on African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya prioritised investment in high-potential areas.

The paper stated that “development money should be invested where it will yield the largest increase in net output” — areas with abundant natural resources, good land and rainfall, transport and power facilities, and people receptive to development.

This, Maalim said, “has systematically marginalised northern Kenya”.

“In 13 years, we were not going to reverse the sins of our government against northern Kenya,” he said, adding that the national government had a role to play in enabling development in the region.

“If you want to see change, give me a dam, give me an airport the size of Eldoret… complete this 750-kilometre road. If you want to see factories coming up, give me reliable electricity. There is no electricity in Mandera.”

“We are quick to blame leadership but certain functions are outside my mandate. Healthcare and education are my mandate and I rate myself as doing fairly well. But in terms of serious change that will close the inequality gap, we need the national government to work with us.”