Naivasha — County governments in Kenya are once again staring down a financial cliff. And this time, governors say, the consequences could be devastating.
At a high-level meeting in Naivasha, governors gathered to voice deep concern over persistent delays in the release of national funds, which they say are grinding county services to a halt and putting devolution on the line.
“This is not just a financial hiccup. Counties are choking,” said Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, who chairs the Council of Governors’ Finance Committee. “Hospitals can’t pay suppliers. Workers are going unpaid. We can’t keep functioning like this.”
Governor Barasa was speaking at a consultative forum attended by fellow governors and senior officials from the Office of the Controller of Budget. His message was stark: the current system is broken.
Call for Urgent Reforms
Barasa called for an overhaul of the approval and disbursement process, urging the Controller of Budget’s office to fast-track digital solutions.
“Automation would cut the red tape,” he said. “Right now, even when the money is allocated, getting it to the counties becomes a bureaucratic maze.”
The issue of delayed fiscal transfers is not new, but the chorus of discontent is growing louder.
Council Chair Ahmed Abdullahi, governor of Wajir, said counties were sliding into debt, with contractors unpaid and essential projects stalled.
“We’re not asking for charity. These are budgeted funds that Parliament has already approved,” said Abdullahi. “This delay is eroding public trust.”
A Constitutional Crisis?
Also present at the meeting was legal scholar and constitutional expert Dr. Mutakha Kangu. He warned that the repeated delays risk undermining the 2010 Constitution itself, which enshrines the right of counties to a share of national revenue.
“Devolution was supposed to take services closer to the people. But if counties can’t access funds predictably, then we have to ask whether the spirit of the Constitution is being honoured,” Dr. Kangu said.
He proposed formal amendments to anchor timely disbursement in law, with firm timelines and penalties for breaches.
Growing Pressure on National Treasury
Despite repeated calls from governors, the National Treasury has offered few concrete answers. Treasury officials have blamed revenue shortfalls and competing national priorities for the delays. However, counties argue that essential services from healthcare to water are suffering unnecessarily.
The Office of the Controller of Budget, represented at the Naivasha meeting, acknowledged the concerns and pledged to work more closely with county officials to streamline disbursement procedures.
More Than Just Numbers
Behind the budget jargon and legal debate lies a more human story. In rural clinics, nurses are skipping pay. In small towns, roads are half-built. Local economies are stalling.
“This isn’t just about figures on a spreadsheet,” said Barasa. “It’s about real lives.”
The governors said they will continue pushing for systemic change and warned that unless the matter is resolved urgently, the promise of devolution could be lost.
“We owe it to Kenyans to fix this,” said Abdullahi. “Counties must not be the casualties of poor planning at the centre.”
As the stalemate drags on, one thing is clear: the cracks in Kenya’s fiscal foundations are widening and the ground beneath county governments is getting shakier by the day.
