NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 22 — Fifteen years after Kenya adopted the 2010 Constitution and 13 years after the first county governments took office, devolution has fundamentally changed the way government reaches citizens.

📻 Breaking It Down

Services that were once largely administered from Nairobi are now managed closer to communities, with counties responsible for healthcare, local roads, markets, water services, agriculture, trade and early childhood education.

But whether the transfer of government has translated into better services, greater responsiveness and more influence for ordinary Kenyans remains an open question.

The answer, according to the latest State of Devolution Address and government oversight reports, is mixed.

📌 What You Need to Know

There have been measurable gains, particularly in health infrastructure, early childhood education and local development.

At the same time, counties remain heavily dependent on transfers from the national government, struggle to raise their own revenue and continue to face problems with pending bills, corruption, public participation and the transfer of functions.

For citizens, the experience of devolution can therefore depend heavily on where they live and which service they need.

The most visible change has been the creation of a permanent layer of government at county level.

Since 2013, counties have taken responsibility for services that directly affect daily life.

In healthcare, for example, the latest State of Devolution Address shows that county health allocations increased by 11.7 per cent, from Sh137.57 billion to Sh154.58 billion.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya