If only governors had listened to Aden Duale

Health CS Aden Duale. [File, Standard]

The biggest news of the week isn’t the removal of indomitable ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, but the disgraceful clash of egos between governors and senators.

The showdown has retold the African folklore of a clever thief helping to look for the stolen item. It also lays bare the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ philosophy of Kenya’s elites. Many governors have said that from now on, they will snub summons because four senators have ‘escalated extortion’ in the County Public Accounts Committee and that of Public Investment and Special Funds. Weird but not new, isn’t it?

However, before I wade into this ugly conflict, I must admit to a personal conflict. First, the level-headed Public Accounts Committee chairman Moses Kajwang, who’s laughably in the crosshairs of the adrenaline-hit Council of Governors (CoG), is my county senator.

Second, Mr. Enoch Wambua, an outspoken member of Mr. Kajwang’s committee, is an old friend. We worked together through many years of toil in the newsroom, struggling with headlines and deadlines, before the Kitui senator crossed into politics and, quite literally, jettisoned me. Yet, personal associations notwithstanding, the issues at stake in this ‘messy and noisy’ fight are bigger than friendships or constituencies. On this one, the governors have badly exposed themselves. In fact, CoG chairman Ahmed Abdullahi of Wajir passes for the ‘strangler-in-chief’ of devolution.

In the New Testament, there was a day Jesus Christ called out the Pharisees for pretending to be righteous while inwardly corrupt. In the same way, we must stand up and remind county chiefs that they, not just the Senate, are the weakest link in the two-tier system.

Certainly, the framers of our Constitution must be shuddering at the scale of graft under governors’ watch. Wait and see the opulence and billions splashed on ward reps to avert imaginary impeachments. Yet these same leaders shout the loudest about malpractice in the Senate. The pot is calling the kettle black! They’ve become unnecessarily larger than life, blinded by the ‘excellency’ title and the vast cash resources at their disposal. The mini-presidents even name streets after themselves and dedicate SUVs just to ferry their chairs to meetings. Their latest tantrums suggest they’ve chosen a self-serving path. Because they fail to appreciate devolution, they’re afraid of everyone and everything, including their shadows.

Health CS Aden Duale’s iconic ‘hii pesa sio ya mama yako (Public funds don’t belong to your mother)’ quip was the plain truth that should forever be our devolution anthem. Had governors listened, they’d have avoided this ‘egg in the face’ moment! Why would an efficient manager with clean financial records give bribes? Why did it take this long for the bribe givers to speak up, or did a ‘deal’ go wrong?

Wanjiku is not buying this hoax. The vitriol is nothing but a clever political distraction. The timing, too, is obviously curious. As a hilarious former President Emilio Mwai Kibaki would ask, why have the county bosses become ‘suddenly very clever’ a year to the 2027 elections?

No doubt, devolution has improved lives. In northern counties, for instance, the transformation is historic. But it is also true that most counties have squandered this opportunity to uplift Wanjiku, despite cumulatively receiving more than Sh3.6 trillion in equitable share and additional allocations since 2013. The long abdication of oversight by MCAs has only deepened the rot.

Now that Kenyans yearn for stronger intergovernmental relations and increased funding to counties, it’s troubling that governors are undermining processes established by law to ensure prudent use of funds. They want a blank cheque to buy wheelbarrows at inflated prices.

Spare us the façade of innocence. Simply, if they’re spending prudently, let the books speak for themselves since figures don’t lie. But if they’ve been doing anything illegal that makes them dread scrutiny, they’ve no right to smear others with mud. It’s even worse when foul-mouthed, like Nyeri’s Mutahi Kahig,a defend bigoted interests. The good news is that in 2027, a real Tsunami is coming.

-The writer is a communications practitioner. X:@markoloo