10 years after the inception of devolution in Kenya, former Agricultural Finance Corporation – Kenya Managing Director Lucas Meso, says the biggest threat to devolution is elected leaders who seek positions for their own personal gains.
With the decentralization of power, resources and representation from the national government to the local level, some governors and Members of County Assemblies (MCA) have allegedly never used their positions to solve problems in the communities.
The Actual Medicine Against Poverty is Wealth, Not Development – President Yoweri Museveni
Lucas Meso suggested that the adoption of a devolved system of government in Kenya was a desire of citizens who wanted access to public services closer to them but the implementation has not been smooth due to some Issues corruption and mismanagement of county resources being the main obstacle.
“Gross national corruption scandals, excessive borrowing, and decreased tax collection have crowded out the majority of counties. Instead of assisting the people who elected them to those positions, leaders have devoted valuable managerial time and public resources to attempting to fix their own personal problems,” Meso said.
He added that devolution has not worked the way it was planned to, because of the monetization of politics, adding that politics and leadership have completely affected development unless the country relooks at the concept of devolution again.
He narrated how for one to become a governor in Kenya, they need a budget of not less than KES 200 million just for the campaign. Meso firmly believes that this forces the governor aspirants to take loans and get help from well-wishers.
Heavy Taxation is The Course of Under-Development in Africa – Daniel Mwambonu
Photos: State House Kenya (Twitter)
“They (Governors) cannot perform well because they first need to refund people who gave them loans to contest or give inflated tenders to people who supported them at the expense of development,” Meso claimed.
The former managing director pleaded with the relevant bodies to find a way of reducing or capping campaign costs to ensure political aspirants don’t use a lot of money during campaigns. This, He says, will give governors ample time to spearhead development agenda for their electorates without frustrations.
Photo: Wavinya Ndeti (Twitter)
He further proposed that county governments, currently standing at 47 in number, should be reduced and regional governments re-adopted, arguing that it will reduce recurrent expenditure and pave the way for development.
This comes amidst fresh reports from Kenya’s Controller of Budgets Margaret Nyakang’o that some counties, including Nyanza, Siaya and Kisumu, spent nothing on development projects but spent their budget generously on recurring expenditures like salaries. This means that devolution is yet to give citizens what they badly wanted if development is not given first priority by the 47 counties in Kenya.
Follow or like our social media accounts for more informative stories:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UpeoHubDigital
Twitter: https://twitter.com/upeohubnews
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/UpeoHubDigital
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upeohubdigital
Would you like us to feature your story/opinion? You can contact us through the following:
Cell: +254 759 896907
Email: news@upeohubdigital.co.ke
For corporate engagements, you can reach out to us via info@upeohubdigital.co.ke
For marketing engagements, email us via marketing@upeohubdigital.co.ke
