Governors can't afford to backpedal on growth

Homa Bay County Governor Gladys Wanga when she made a second visit to HBTRH to understand the challenges hampering effective service delivery. [Courtesy, Twitter]

Kenyans are still reeling from the aftermath of the gruelling 2022 polls. In the deep corners of their minds, the presidential petition has only but denied them a quick chance at resuming their usual lives.

Listening to conversations around the country, there's renewed interest in the counties. Since they are the new epicentres of power, the public is eager to see how the men and women at the helm of the devolved units will impress or upset.

There's a mixture of fear and hope, though. Kenyans reacted last week at the sight of a billboard by the governor-elect thanking voters. The billboard read 'ready to serve' but they cheekily suggested it should have read 'ready to serve and eat.'

Ten years into devolution, fear of plunder has never been this rife. Lethargy and huge pending bills continue to haunt the counties.

Their figures are somewhere around Sh130 billion. New governors have initiated fresh audits to lock of fictitious payment claims by ruthless cartels who've turned counties into cash cows.

It is also interesting how focus has turned to the 'big' number of women governors who took the reins last week. Many Kenyans are eager to know how they intend to change conversations around management and quickly pass the fitness test among their teams.

What unique skills will they help build and how quickly can they crush, once and for all, the unconscious biases against women in political leadership?

I share the views of millions of Kenyans that devolution still holds the key to Kenya's rebirth. We could fight tooth and nail over the presidency but truth is, real power lies in the devolved units.

This is why the 47 governors must burn the midnight oil to address serious dereliction jolting service provision. From government data since 2013, counties have received an estimated Sh2 trillion worth of equitable share of allocation. This includes conditional grants and own source revenues. In the 2021/2022 period, the 47 counties got an estimated Sh370 billion from the Treasury.

Take last year for instance, counties spent Sh12 billion on needless travels despite Covid-19 restrictions that came into force from early 2020. Incompetence by some governors has led to an inclination by the national government to want 'take back' some devolved functions. We saw the controversial deeds of transfer signed between an incompetent city county and the Nairobi Metropolitan Services.

Renowned author Daniel Coyle once said baby steps are the royal road to skill. We must look at each other in eye beyond empty politicking and begin honest conversations on the future of counties that have historically underperformed under a cloud of graft and ineptitude.

Devolution started off with a few baby steps and frantic effort must be made to ensure it doesn't tumble along the way.

The gains are all out there. The two-tier system of government has radically improved lives. The Northern counties will agree. But it is also true that some counties have wasted the chance to improve Wanjiku's life out of the billions they get from the exchequer annually. They must read the mood.

Greater prudence in utilisation of funds, a competent workforce, prudent project conceptualisation and better inter-governmental relations devoid of turf wars are the magic wand that will help the new governors stay the course. Yes, their work is cut out for them. The county bosses must improve the quality of life for every Kenyan.

Granted, when some counties perform better than others, we run the risk of creating dangerous inequalities in terms of economic opportunities and the quality of life therein. From Turkana, Mandera, Marsabit to Busia and Tana River, we need an evenly developed economic landscape. This way, we will avoid the exodus of Kenyans from underperforming counties to more optimistic ones. An unequal society is recipe for social disorder.

The writer is an editor at The Standard. Twitter: @markoloo