This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
On September 23, 2019, the Council of Governors (CoG) swiftly dismissed the recent ranking of counties by All Africa Advisors (AAA), claiming the findings did not meet the threshold of the survey.
The CoG chairman, Kakamega Governor Wycliff Oparanya, stated that the ranking was not reflective of the reality on the ground, sparking a heated debate.
However, the CoG's swift dismissal of the ranking has only served to stifle national debate on this vital survey, which comes just days after a near-shutdown in the devolved units following a stand-off over funds.
With limited financial options, counties had proposed closing down, thus shutting the critical obligation of providing services to the public.
As the devolved units continue to struggle with meeting their primary needs, it is clear that they have not stretched their abilities to raise extra revenues.
Instead, they have perfected the trend of condemning the national government for its perennial delay in remitting funds from the Exchequer in good time.
However, this trend defeats the aspirations, spirit, and letter of the law that founded devolution, which aimed to empower counties to raise their own revenues and meet their needs.
Most counties survive by meeting only recurrent costs while suffocating development overheads, a trend that was highlighted by the immediate former auditor-general, Edward Ouko, in his last verdict on county governments.
Ouko noted that county governments were not meeting their obligations due to constant dependence on national government for bailouts and a lack of creativity in meeting revenue targets.
Therefore, it is only important that we seize the recent rankings to instigate and invigorate a national debate on the devolved units and their ability to raise revenues and meet their needs.
