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| Jigger infested foot. Antagonism between national and county governments over devolution can stall development at counties. |
When I heard about devolution the first time, I grew cold
feet. In my ten-cent wisdom, I saw devolution as the mechanically sound vehicle
fashioned to drive the country into social inequality, and leave it there. How abysmal! But wait, I was not entirely wrong.
Devolution, at least in the minds of the crafters of the constitution,
means well. Decentralizing power to the grassroots and getting local solutions
to local problems, for instance. Isaac Rutto believes that devolution is the panacea
to poverty in Kenya. Unfortunately, reading from recent developments, it is
safe to develop goose bumps at the mention of devolution.
Nothing is stalling devolution. That is for sure. The contrary
stand by the national government notwithstanding. What else explains the hurried
signing of the controversial Revenue Allocation Bill 2013 by the president?
What of the installation of the provincial administration? However, devolution
will be a curse in some regions.
Recent debacle on what functions to devolve and which ones
to leave at the hands of the national government creates a fertile ground for
underdevelopment. With some quarters of the national government determined to
keep controlling key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare county governments
are worried. I will not go this route. I am interested in the ensuing
confusion.
When the national government keeps locking horns with the
counties on functions, somebody somewhere is salivating. Anyone who has watched
the reaction of hyenas on spotting a pack of lions advancing towards a sickly wildebeest
during the migration across Mara River on National Geographic gets a picture of
the opportunist in this melee.
Under such an environment, county legislators can easily
collude to embezzle funds that are already earmarked for development. This collusion
is easier when the national government and the county governments brew
confusion on who will pay healthcare workers, who will procure drugs, who will
pay nursery school teachers, etc. Its
efficacy heightens when the county legislators are pointing figures in unison. Consequently,
poor Kenyans will get down to blaming the Treasury, the Transitional Authority,
the bogeyman.
Several factors compound this situation. For instance, a
national government that is not determined to implement the constitution to the
latter. By deliberately going against the constitutional provisions on
devolution, especially on functions and funding, the national government sets
good precedence for Kenyans to be duped by county legislators. How many times
have Kenyans wondered on the rationale for the Devolution Ministry?
When the national government keeps eating its own words and
practicing double speak, it is petrifying. The double speak on the teachers’ strike
is so fresh. Kazungu Kambi appeared very confident that the government would
withhold teachers’ July pay. The president later contradicted this position. This
embarrassing fallback is certainly informing a scheme by county legislators to
point fingers.
And when the national government means well, then there is
the bigoted government spokesman who cannot report objectively on developments.
Despite, or because of, holding onto a post that it not recognized the
constitution, Muthui Kariuki has attracted untold criticism on how he
represents his bosses. Considering how the government’s mouth would stop at
nothing to portray President Uhuru as warring with the pro-devolution Kenyans,
county legislators would always quote one or two instances to cover their mismanagement
of funds.
But it’s lack of strong opposition at the county levels that
will ensure that schools remain mud plastered, roads are not carpeted, farmers
lack fertilizer, and villagers continue agonizing over jigger infections. The official
opposition is still in the stupor of the elections.
Besides the sideshows, and
attempts to sneak back into power, the opposition has not been helpful to the
development agenda of the land. 100 days later, they have nothing to show for
it. Without strong opposition, nothing meaningful can come out of the establishment.
What’s wrong with feting on 2.5 billion shillings, bronze and all?
Opposition in the county governments is also wanting. Regions
in which the majority of the legislators are from the same political wing, groupthink
will easily creep in. When everybody agrees to everything, underdevelopment and
pointing fingers will be the norm. Civil society is busy keeping the national government
in check. Isn’t this what non-governmental organizations keep telling their
donors? Unscrupulous governors and county representatives will hide behind this
grass strand to shit.
For eons, media houses have concentrated their business in
major town. Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, and Kisumu are well covered by
radio, televisions and newspapers. And this makes commercial sense. What business
value will Nation Media Group derive by setting up a bureau office in Makueni,
for instance? Again, this is not the issue.
Media plays an important role in keeping those in power on
check. That means that there is every reason to worry when some counties are
out of reach of the media. Worse still, when the media shows every sign of
sleeping with the establishment as shown by the recent winning and dining of
the media and the state, there is reason to worry. This will give room to the
county legislators to behave as they please. Development suffers.
With all these, unless something happens, devolution will be
a curse rather than an enabler for the much-coveted development in some regions.
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