Devolution can solve past injustices

Quite often, those who champion war against poverty have either never been poor or their fate changed due to circumstances beyond their appreciation. Sometimes they are merely wealthy philanthropic persons.

The imbalance in economic development in Kenya during the colonial era whereby areas dominated by white people were favoured in the allocation of State resources was the main reason the representatives of the indigenous people demanded a federal system of government – Majimbo.

Their vision was the realisation of genuine emancipation of the local people to enable them take full charge of their political and economic destinies.

Those opposed to the federal system of government were better educated and had been co-opted into the colonial system which believed that with increased economic development in areas that were more endowed with resources, the benefits would gradually trickle down to the poor.

Independent Kenya took off in 1963 with regional parliaments which were meant to enable the people of all regions to participate in decision making. The main role of the national government was to ensure equitable sharing of the national resources and maintenance of law and order.

What a majority of Kenyans did not realise was that independence could be reduced to a mere change of guard between whites and blacks.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where, after the farm animals had collectively fought and kicked out humans, the pigs took over the farm owner’s house as they perceived themselves to be more equal than the rest of the animals, is a good example.

Power is never shared and within the first year, the Majimbo parliaments were reduced to talking shops while the National Assembly became a rubber stamp for decisions made at the centre.

The authority of the state was entrenched in State House and was exercised through provincial commissioners.

The planning of economic development programmes continued to be lopsided and areas that were considered too harsh geographically like North Eastern and the low-lying Northern Rift Valley were ignored.

The Coast and the greater Western zones were to be exploited for their land and raw materials for the benefit of those who had the means to undertake economic development enterprises.

The 2010 Constitution did not fully meet the expectations of Kenyans, but given the power of those who did not want it, and the demand by the people for the participatory exercise of power at the county level, there was no better option.

The benefits of the devolved system cannot be realised instantly due to factors such as lukewarm support for the new system by those in charge of the national system, inadequate understanding by those in county governments and poor communication between the national and county governments.

What is more critical now is the need for systematic public education programmes that will make many appreciate the inevitable hurdles on the way to full realization of the benefits of devolution.

The beneficiaries of the outgoing centralised system and those benefiting from the apparent laxity in the full implementation of devolution are working to prove that devolution does not work.

There is a deliberate campaign to make ordinary citizens feel that development can only be realised if they support the government.

The full realisation of the benefits of devolution will take time and the challenge is for those in community leadership to reach out to their people and constantly demonstrate to them what they have done that was not possible under the centralised system and what the people should do in support of the efforts of their County Governments.

County governments should identify areas of economic undertakings for which they have competitive advantage over the others.