County Governors during the Biennial Devolution Conference at Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County on August 17, 2023.
Governors have laid bare the persistent challenges that continue to plague counties 12 years since the advent of devolution, warning that the gains made risk being reversed if systemic issues like delayed disbursements, mounting pending bills and policy bottlenecks are not addressed.
Speaking during the 11th State of Devolution Address, Council of Governors (CoG) Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi lamented the state of devolved governance, citing growing public impatience with service delivery and government accountability.
“I make this address while fully acknowledging the voices of Kenyans calling upon both national and county governments to step up and deliver on the promise of our Constitution,” he said.
Mr Abdullahi who is also Wajir Governor noted that while devolution has made significant progress particularly in healthcare, infrastructure and agriculture, systemic constraints continue to slow development.
One of the most glaring issues is the growing backlog of pending bills which stood at Sh172.51 billion as of March 31, 2025. Of that amount, Nairobi County alone accounted for Sh115.69 billion, or nearly 70 per cent of the total.
“The persistence of high pending bills has been mainly attributed to delays in the disbursement of funds by the National Treasury,” Mr Abdullahi said.
Fiscal uncertainty also remains a recurring issue as although county governments projected a total revenue of Sh600.69 billion for the 2024/25 financial year, actual disbursements lagged behind for much of the year.
“As of June 30, 2025, a total of Sh354.33 billion had been disbursed to county governments as equitable share,” he said. “However, I can confirm that counties have now received their full equitable share amounting to Sh400.26 billion, along with Sh16.27 billion in additional allocations from development partners.”
Governor Abdullahi also echoed rising concerns over intergovernmental coordination and the central government’s reluctance to fully relinquish control of devolved functions.
“The CoG convened five meetings to address major challenges facing counties—chiefly, the continued clawback of devolved funds by the national government, unconstitutional financial interference, diversion of funds and delayed disbursements,” he said.
Despite these hurdles, the county boss said counties have shown resilience.
In the health sector, more than 24.4 million Kenyans have registered under the Social Health Insurance Authority (SHIA),and public health facilities generated Sh16.9 billion in revenue, meeting 91.3 per cent of annual targets.
However, he noted, whether Kenyans are actually benefiting from the scheme remains a separate discussion.
To support the sustainability of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the CoG is pushing for Sh7.8 billion in annual funding from the Ministry of Health to absorb 8,287 UHC staff into county payrolls under terms approved by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
Public health facilities received Sh12.7 billion under the new SHA system while 107,831 Community Health Promoters provided preventive and promotive care across the country.
Still, gaps persist.
“Some primary health care facilities have yet to receive payments despite submitting claims. Additionally, 1,544 licensed facilities still lack tablets needed to process claims. We call on the Ministry of Health to expedite their distribution,” he added.
In agriculture, counties recorded strong growth. Livestock earnings rose by 17.2 per cent while coffee and avocado exports increased by 48.6 per cent and 34 per cent respectively.
His remarks come just a month before the 2025 Devolution Conference set to take place in Homa Bay County under the theme: “For the People, For Prosperity: Devolution as a Catalyst for Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice.”
Mr Abdullahi said the conference will offer “a space to reflect, propose necessary interventions, and network with peers as we synergize our efforts in making devolution work for Kenyans.”
