Devolution plays critical role in fostering national unity

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya joins sukuti dancers at the during a football match between senators and members of the national assembly at the Bukhungu stadium in Kakamega on April 23, 2018. [Paul Mutua/Standard]

A few months ago, nobody would have predicted that this year’s Devolution Conference would be headlined by the spirited efforts of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Rt Hon Raila Odinga to bring the country together.

The March 9, 2018 handshake has changed the political trajectory of Kenya. Leaders are talking to each other, not at each other. They are channeling their efforts towards the challenges facing voters, not towards undermining their opponents.

However, the handshake has also set the stage for heightened political speculation. We must not let politics overshadow the practical steps that both leaders are taking to implement their unity pledge. One such step is their support for devolution, which is underlined by their participation in this year’s Devolution Conference in Kakamega.

Raila has consistently been in favour of devolution. He was one of the foremost catalysts behind the adoption of the Constitution that established the devolved system of government in 2010.

President Kenyatta, this April, signed the Equitable Division of Revenue Bill as a critical step in ensuring counties get their fair share of the national budget.

We must continue supporting devolution, but also urgently begin to accelerate its pace. This is because devolution has an important role to play as far as fostering national unity is concerned. It addresses the root cause of disunity, which is the perceived and actual inequality in resource distribution across different parts of the country.

Resource allocation

Unequitable resource allocation promotes a culture of finger-pointing between communities, feeding the raging ogre that is ethnic animosity. To definitively resolve this, we need to address, urgently, the challenges facing devolution.

The most pressing challenge is the delayed release of funds from the national Treasury, duplication of functions and unbundled functions to the counties. Whilst the Government has sent more than Sh1 trillion to counties since the onset of devolution, delays in disbursement of funds are regrettably common, leaving county workers and suppliers unpaid and unmotivated. In Kakamega, for instance, we need Sh400 million every month to pay workers’ salaries.

Likewise, the process of determining how much each of the 47 counties gets needs to be bottom-up, more data-driven and reflective of the realities on the ground. Currently, there is a widening mismatch between spending needs and revenue allocation in some counties. This may lead to over-taxation of local businesses.

Political standoffs between national and county governments over control of resources also needs to cease. Devolution is not about taking power away from one group of politicians in the capital and giving it to another in the grassroots.

Goals

Rather, it is about giving power to the people by bringing services and opportunities closer to them, especially those in rural areas, who have historically been marginalised, yet comprise 75 per cent of the national population. As governors, senators and elected leaders in the counties, what have we done to advance devolution? We need to address the needs of the youths as we nurture devolution.

In Kakamega, where we are finalising the world class Bukhungu Stadium as part of our efforts to nurture sporting talent among the youth, we have learnt that young people have a meaningful contribution to make. To this end, the youth will be given a chance to address leaders during the Devolution Conference.

Thanks to the rising tide of expectation among the youth, young people are now demanding more transparency and accountability. The youth and Kenyans at large want leaders who can unlock opportunities at the county level and help bridge the inequality gap that is at the heart of the disunity that has rocked this country for far too long. Kenya’s new quest for unity started with a handshake at Harambee House, but will take shape in the counties.

Hon. Oparanya is the Governor of Kakamega County