Devolution cost benefit analysis

[Okiya]

My analysis leads me to conclude that the costs of devolution far outweigh the benefits of the same. The money we've spent is insane!!!
Ask people what the gains of devolution are they mention things like "easier access to government services"

Look at the northern frontier districts, they've received almost 1 trillion since 2013. What do they have to show for it?

The little praise being accorded to devolution could have been done by District commissioners and City mayors for a fraction of the cost.

Devolution has just devolved corruption.

 

[Meria]

Devolution has just devolved corruption

nuff said

 

[Clemens]

My analysis leads me to conclude that the costs of devolution far outweigh the benefits of the same. The money we've spent is insane!!!
Ask people what the gains of devolution are they mention things like "easier access to government services"

Look at the northern frontier districts, they've received almost 1 trillion since 2013. What do they have to show for it?

The little praise being accorded to devolution could have been done by District commissioners and City mayors for a fraction of the cost.

Devolution has just devolved corruption.

I have had the misfortune of being in a shared compound of both national government and county government offices, the ward and SubCounty admins in 3 different counties in three different regions, in a year those guys appear a maximum of two months in their offices. The easier access to government services is a fallacy.

Agriculture and health as core ministries that were devolved have suffered a lot, if in doubt visit your home SCAO office and see for yourself that there has been a freeze in hiring of agricultural extension Officers and livestock officers since 2013 while the existing officers are elderly and retiring. On health it's self evident no need to talk about it.

 

[Da Vinci]

My analysis leads me to conclude that the costs of devolution far outweigh the benefits of the same. The money we've spent is insane!!!
Ask people what the gains of devolution are they mention things like "easier access to government services"

Look at the northern frontier districts, they've received almost 1 trillion since 2013. What do they have to show for it?

The little praise being accorded to devolution could have been done by District commissioners and City mayors for a fraction of the cost.

Devolution has just devolved corruption.

Harsh tag yash pal ghai, zamba kitonga, raila odinga, willy mutunga, martha karua, james orengo, ....., it is a sizeable group, a cartel, of the drafters of the so-called "most progressive" constitution in the world. They imposed shit on us and now it is stinking to the highest of heavens!

And while we are still at it (I hate to say this), just watch tz and ug and see how far their respective "retrogressive" constitutions have brought and will take them!

 

[mzeiya]

I believe devolution was meant for good but as y'all have pointed out, even the best-laid systems can't work when run by tumbocrats. No wonder kuna some counties when measured, are doing much better.
In all regards, agriculture and more so health, need to be returned to function under the central kafment. Sasa the real tears will be when the Breaking Bridges Initiative is imposed upon us coz it proposes an increase of resources to the countries by at least 35% of the last audited accounts.

 

[QuadroK4000]

I have had the misfortune of being in a shared compound of both national government and county government offices, the ward and SubCounty admins in 3 different counties in three different regions, in a year those guys appear a maximum of two months in their offices. The easier access to government services is a fallacy.

Agriculture and health as core ministries that were devolved have suffered a lot, if in doubt visit your home SCAO office and see for yourself that there has been a freeze in hiring of agricultural extension Officers and livestock officers since 2013 while the existing officers are elderly and retiring. On health it's self evident no need to talk about it.

Hapo kwa agriculture hua inaniuma sana.

 

[Clemens]

Hapo kwa agriculture hua inaniuma sana.

I know places after next year, agriculture office will have no one Manning them.

 

[Mr Black]

In all regards, agriculture and more so health, need to be returned to function under the central kafment.

Umeanza vizuuuuriiii but hapa apana, the national government wasn't any better before devolution and if we were to audit the national government's performance in this devolution era they have frankly been shitty too, from the locust invasion, to covid19 handling, national referral hospitals are still as horrible as before and worse still they haven't built a single new one despite having none in Nyanza, Western, Coast, and the entire Northern Kenya plus eastern.

Taking those functions back is not the solution.

 

[Ubongo]

As it has been said....we created another layer of corruption.
Rao was also suggesting we go for regional chiefs.... governors who are to retire after their second term

 

[Masgwembe]

yash pal gha

Huyu atolewe kwa hiyo list. They hounded him out together with his work before drafting their own with akina Orengo.

 

[$$$]

I agree with you 100%

Devolution is devolved corruption

Na hata wakiiba hizo pesa wanarudisha tuu Nairobi

Only MCAs live and invest in the counties. MPs, Senators, Governors and above all live in Nairobi's leafy surburbs wanaenda ocha for business only. Their investments (mostly property) is in Nairobi, Kiambu, Kiajiado, and Machakos counties. Their nuclear families are in Nairobi. Wao ni ofisi tuu pale ocha.

 

[Luther12]

if in doubt visit your home SCAO office and see for yourself that there has been a freeze in hiring of agricultural extension Officers and livestock officers since 2013 while the existing officers are elderly and retiring.

Ongeza irrigation officers hapa. This I’ve experienced first hand. So many water/ irrigation projects cannot proceed for lack of these so important officers. Imagine a region as expansive as Méru, Isiolo, Marsabit Embu, Tharaka-Nithi counties and parts of Kírínyaga, Kitui, and Samburu counties all served by less than 5 irrigation officers!!

 

[Luther12]

My analysis leads me to conclude that the costs of devolution far outweigh the benefits of the same. The money we've spent is insane!!!
Ask people what the gains of devolution are they mention things like "easier access to government services"

Look at the northern frontier districts, they've received almost 1 trillion since 2013. What do they have to show for it?

The little praise being accorded to devolution could have been done by District commissioners and City mayors for a fraction of the cost.

Devolution has just devolved corruption.

The biggest impediment is the cost of the bureaucracy that is county governments. That has sucked up resources that’d have otherwise gone to service delivery.

I happen to have been a fly-on-the-wall in some (financial) deliberations. The controller of budget office usually has indicators and ratios to gauge how financially healthy a county is, in much the same way accountants and auditors do for corporate organizations. What I know for a fact is no single county is financially viable today. They all leech off the exchequer.

This unhealthy situation has trickled down to service delivery and, worse, in the cost of doing business. We frequently are preoccupied with taxes imposed by the National Gov’t but I submit that all manner of local taxes, fees and levies imposed by County Gov’ts have had a far worse effect in the cost of doing business. But that is a conversation yet to be had. Case in point: liquor licenses for the various players in the alcohol industry.

The way I personally see it is that devolution is not viable.Good as it is, we simply cannot afford it. But we’re too proud to admit it so it’ll take another 30yrs or so before we face up to this glaring truth.

 

[Luther12]

Devolution has just devolved corruption.

The worst outcome is that it has widened tribal schisms and even introduced them in places where it shouldn’t and has never mattered, like medical practice. I know of doctors denied employment and promotion by counties solely on account of their (perceived) tribe. Suppliers have been denied tenders on the basis of the same (hii kwanza nakumbuka from as far back as 2014).

 

[Luther12]

it proposes an increase of resources to the countries by at least 35% of the last audited accounts.

The folly of political myopia. Instead of concentrating on baking the cake, they’re preoccupied on sharing out an ever shrinking one.

I often wonder, hawa wakenya who support(ed) it, where do they think extra funds to pay for the expanded Executive etc will come from? Si ni sisi tu tutafinywa tutoe hii pesa?

 

[Luther12]

national referral hospitals are still as horrible as before and worse still they haven't built a single new one despite having none in Nyanza, Western, Coast, and the entire Northern Kenya plus eastern.

Devolution sucked up resources for that.
And the political reality of the day is quite sth. Especially local politics.

Part of the mess that isin the referral system is partly blamed on devolution, and partly on the NHIF system. The latter, worsened by devolution.

 

[Luther12]

I agree with you 100%

Devolution is devolved corruption

Na hata wakiiba hizo pesa wanarudisha tuu Nairobi

Only MCAs live and invest in the counties. MPs, Senators, Governors and above all live in Nairobi's leafy surburbs wanaenda ocha for business only. Their investments (mostly property) is in Nairobi, Kiambu, Kiajiado, and Machakos counties. Their nuclear families are in Nairobi. Wao ni ofisi tuu pale ocha.

Worst effect is inflation. Take the case of cost of land, for instance.
These thugs in suits steal from us, but land at exorbitant prices and so drive prices up. Suddenly, we from whom the resources are stolen can now no longer afford to buy that land!

 

[Luther12]

On matters staffing, all counties have hit the prescribed ceiling ratio (I think it’s 35% but sikumbuki vizuri) in terms of how much they can spend on salaries and emoluments, this despite glaring staffing shortfalls in departments as key as agriculture, healthcare, irrigation, etc. Some are actually beyond this ratio and for these, every year, they have to personally appear at the controller of budget’s office to ‘defend’ their budget prior to release of funding.

The question no one asks is pesa zinaenda wapi? Why do we have such staffing shortages yet spend so much on salaries? This by the way means no hiring can be done to fix it. The answer can be obtained by scrutinizing the cost of the bureaucracy that is the governors’ offices. The real cost of devolution, as it were. But we’re not ready for that discussion, yet.

 

[Denis Young]

My analysis leads me to conclude that the costs of devolution far outweigh the benefits of the same. The money we've spent is insane!!!
Ask people what the gains of devolution are they mention things like "easier access to government services"

Look at the northern frontier districts, they've received almost 1 trillion since 2013. What do they have to show for it?

The little praise being accorded to devolution could have been done by District commissioners and City mayors for a fraction of the cost.

Devolution has just devolved corruption.

So is it a failure of devolution or the failure of leadership in the devolved units?
I would argue devolution is the way to go and what we need is to make the people in charge more accountable no matter how difficult. Also a change of leadership wouldn't hurt but that will come with time.

You cannot just throw an entire governance system out because of teething issues. At least trim the fat and make it lean before giving up.

 

[Luther12]

At least trim the fat and make it lean before giving up.

Aside from the politics of it, I look at it from a purely financial perspective. Affordability.
Methinks we simply cannot afford it. Not with the meager resources at our disposal currently.