By Andrew Mbuva
Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi has urged the national government to allocate more resources to counties, saying the success of devolution hinges on adequate funding.
Speaking in Naivasha during a high-level meeting between the Deputy Governors Caucus and the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, Mwangangi expressed concern over the continued underfunding of county governments.
He lamented that since the advent of devolution, only 13 percent of the country's total revenue has been allocated to counties, leaving a staggering 88 percent—out of the approximately Ksh. 28 trillion collected since the new Constitution was enacted—in the hands of the national government.
“This trend is worrying. If we truly want devolution to work, we must rethink the revenue sharing model. The national government should consider a 50-50 formula or at the very least allocate 40 percent of national revenue to the counties,” Mwangangi stated.
He emphasized that sufficient county funding is critical for grassroots development, job creation, and accelerating transformation across the country.
“If we want to see faster growth and real transformation, we must invest in the counties. That’s where the real change happens,” he added.
The meeting was part of ongoing consultations on the County Governments Amendment Bill 2024, which seeks to strengthen devolution and improve service delivery in all 47 counties.
