A recent study, “Reasonable Goals for Reducing Poverty in Africa: Targets for the post-2015 MDGs and Agenda 2063”, classifies Kenya among the top 10 countries with large populations living in extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (Turner, Cilliers & Hughs, 2015). The problem of inequality and poverty is one that Kenya has courted for a long time, but whose antidote is necessary if the country is to optimally develop. A report released by Society for International Development in November 2013 raised similar issues – Kenya ranked second among the five East African Community Countries on inequalities with most of its citizens, particularly in urban areas, living in poverty.
The Constitution anticipates this challenge and provides devolution as one of the key solutions. Under the devolved system of government, at least 15 per cent of revenue is reserved for 47 counties and is equitably distributed. Further, an additional 0.5 per cent equalisation fund designed to uplift historically marginalised areas is provided for.
Devolution was a response to the need to de-concentrate power and resources from the centre, thereby promoting equitable development. Some of the objects of devolved government are to promote social and economic development, and to facilitate the provision of proximate, easily accessible services throughout Kenya, as well as to ensure equitable sharing of national and local resources.
The teething problems the county has encountered in the last two years as it implements this new system may easily make one write it off as a plausible remedy to inequality and poverty. Why not? The media is awash with reports of governors expending public money to fund lavish lifestyles, of members of county assemblies blackmailing governors to allocate them more money – above caps placed by the Controller of Budget – lest they frustrate the development agenda. The current crisis in Makueni is sufficient testimony.
It is also not helping matters that most counties performed dismally on development. A study by the World Bank revealed only 10 counties met the 30 per cent threshold (allocation on development), as the lion’s share of allocated monies went into recurrent expenditure. The current trend echoes the performance of past decentralised efforts. Think, for instance, of the Constituency Development Fund which was, in many cases marred by allegations of corruption even though there are a number of success stories. Or the Road Maintenance Levy Fund which many Kenyans may never knew existed. Even worse, the Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF) which the local authorities often used to pay salaries, neglecting the development agenda it was designed to support. Will this cast aspersions on the ability of the counties to actualise the objects of devolution?
Despite what looks like a gloomy start, I am of the view that the devolved system of government has immense potential to transform lives. Take the example of Wajir County which was ranked best for spending on development where the development budget accounted for 58 per cent of its total budget. Most of the residents of the county had never seen a tarmac road until the county government began construction of such a road, which is expected to cover 25 kilometres. The project was launched late last year. It may sound odd that this is the first time a county in a country that has enjoyed independence for over 50 years is constructing a tarmac road. But this is a common narrative in our country – you have some parts of the country enjoying good amenities, and many others operating with the bare minimum or nothing; you have a small clique swimming in opulence and millions wallowing in abject poverty, and the story goes on.
The health sector is yet another front where some counties, especially in arid areas, have managed to enhance access to healthcare through mobile clinics. This will hopefully, enhance life expectancy and improve the quality of life in the long run.
I was in a conversation the other day on “devolved corruption” when a friend from the North remarked: “At least the money is circulating in our localities and devolution has opened up opportunities for our people”. In other words, those who have seen what devolution can do have embraced it, the operational challenges notwithstanding.
To mitigate these challenges and optimise the benefits of devolution, there is need to enhance checks and balances especially at the county assembly level, and enhance community participation to increase buy-in and goodwill. Tied with this is the need for to come up with key resolutions to facilitate the creation of jobs among the youth to help counter poverty. The current unmanageable trends of unemployment are a reflection of policy challenges, low productivity, weak human capital development as well as infrastructural deficits.
There is no doubt devolution has enabled some communities to achieve what they would never have attained in years had the country remained with one level of government. But more important is the promise it heralds if it is properly implemented.
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