This archive report was first published on 6 August 2019.
On the surface, devolution in Kisumu seems to be thriving. However, beneath the façade lies a web of corruption, nepotism, and family patronage that has crippled the county's development.
One of the most glaring examples of this is the Kisumu County Assembly, where all MCAs are officially contractors. This means they decide who gets what contracts, often awarding them to themselves or their allies.
Take the case of the Railways MCA, who constructed a Sh5m public toilet at Lwangni beach. However, the toilet has since been demolished, and the MCA was paid for it. This is just one of many instances where MCAs have been accused of misusing public funds.
But that's not all. The Kisumu town CBD is undergoing a facelift worth Sh800m, funded by the World Bank. However, there are no billboards detailing the project, and residents are left wondering who the contractor is and when the tender was advertised.
As one resident pointed out, 'Why hide this information from the public? Ironically, a second-hand Toyota Prado was recently purchased by the county government at a whopping Sh19 million. The tender team was headed by Haggai Kadiri, while Eric Agwenyi was a member.'
Prof Nyong'o, the county's leader, founded devolution on the principle of bringing development closer to the people. However, the residents are now crying foul after the ODM party's buffoonery guillotined their democratic rights during the 2017 general elections and pushed down their throats incompetent leaders.
