Kang'ata: Corruption, delayed funds still a threat to devolution

Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata before the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee on March 17, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has described devolution as the  greatest achievement of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution.

However, Kang’ata warned that systemic challenges, including delayed disbursement of funds, entrenched corruption, and weak payroll systems, continue to frustrate counties and undermine service delivery.

Speaking on Spice FM on Monday, Kang’ata said the devolved system of government had transformed political representation and inclusivity by giving all communities a stake in governance.

“Previously, we had a central form of government where quite several Kenyans, particularly the marginalized groups, felt that they were not fully represented at the centre,” said Kang’ata.

The governor, who previously served as a senator for Murang’a, argued that devolution has helped dismantle the historical perception of dominance by larger ethnic groups.

He acknowledged that Kenya still struggles with ethnicized politics 15 years on after the promulgation of the Constitution and 14 years of devolution.

“We remained a country with several nations as opposed to one nation. Devolution, to a certain extent, has healed that,” he noted.

Kang’ata painted the strain caused by the national government’s delays in disbursing the equitable share of revenue to counties.

“Some counties pay after three or four months. It also means delayed projects and late payments to contractors. Sending billions at the end of the financial year and then faulting counties for poor absorption is unfair,” he said.

The governor admitted that corruption, long entrenched at the national level, has found a new home in counties.

“Yes, corruption was decentralized. But the problem remains both at the national and county levels,” he said.

He proposed automation of services as the most effective tool against graft.

“In Murang’a, our own source revenue was Sh500 million before automation. In the first year, it rose to Sh650 million, then to Sh1.1 billion, and last year we closed at Sh1.3 billion. Automation cuts corruption and inefficiencies.”

He blamed manual payrolls and casual employment systems for fueling ghost worker scandals across the country, calling for migration of services to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Database (IPPD).

Kang’ata admitted Murang’a uncovered 50 ghost workers during an internal audit.