National Assembly biggest hinderance to devolution, CoG says

The Council of Governors has accused the National Assembly of being the biggest hindrance to devolution.

The Council, through its Chief Executive Officer, Mary Mwiti, said the August house has, on many occasions, shortchanged funds allocated to the devolved functions.

Ms Mwiti spoke today during a media briefing on the preparations for the forthcoming 2025 Devolution Conference.

"We have a very robust constitution that has stipulated an explicit mandate to independent institutions. We know parliament has the mandate to legislate and oversight, but in many cases, they take advantage of the power to pass to skew allocations made for county governments as equitable share," said Ms Mwiti.

Even as this year's conference seeks to focus on the place of devolution in the country, clearly there is so much disconnect," she said, adding, "We had requested Sh536 billion as equitable share but we were only allocated Sh415 billion out of the Sh4.2 trillion budget."

Mwiti said the money allocated to them is expected to run over 14 devolved functions, including health, ECD, Agriculture, Trade, Roads and Water.

Unfortunately, the parliament has been banking on the outdated 2021/20222 audited account, which does not reflect the ideal situation on the ground," she said.

Ms Mwiti argued that devolution is a catalyst for equity, inclusion and social justice and that there can be growth without t equal share of resources, social justice and the voice of the people.

"The reason why our youth are in the streets is because they are agitating for accountability and transparency in resource sharing, which then urgently calls for a review of the financing gaps between the two levels of government," she said.

She added, "By treating citizens as rights-holders and governments as duty-bearers, county governments breathe life into the concept of social justice. Under Part 2, Schedule Four of the Constitution, county governments deliver services at the grassroots level to enhance human rights obligations."

The ninth Devolution Conference, scheduled for 12-15 August, will be held in Homa Bay County.

Mwiti said the council resolved to have a biannual conference to allow time to implement resolutions.