Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has reiterated his call for the national government to empower devolution by allocating more financial resources to county governments.
Raila argues that decentralized units are best positioned to respond directly to the needs of citizens.
“We brought back devolution in our constitution. This devolution has faced several challenges, and I want to invite you, Mr President, to ensure that devolution works. Empower devolution by providing more resources to the counties,” he said.
Speaking during the Madaraka Day celebrations in Homa Bay, Raila restated that true development can only be achieved if counties are adequately funded and entrusted with decision-making over local projects and service delivery.
“Let the counties have sufficient resources so that they can be able to provide services to the people,” he stated.
“There are services that were not devolved, but those services can be delegated for implementation by the county governments,” the ODM leader added.
In his speech, Raila stated: “We want to see governors get sufficient resources to do their work,” while opposing the establishment of any other system or structure that could challenge the current devolution system.
“Your Excellency, I want to plead with you. Do not resurrect provincial administration. Provincial administration is a relic of colonialism that has no place today in a free and independent Kenya,” he said.
He urged Parliament to prioritize the equitable allocation of national revenue and to respect the constitutional principles of devolution by refraining from centralizing development initiatives in Nairobi.
In a direct message to Members of Parliament, Raila called on lawmakers to focus on their core constitutional mandates—legislation, representation, and oversight—and to leave development planning and execution to the counties.
“We want our MPs to do their work effectively by representing, legislating and oversighting the national government. But allow the development to be done by the county governments. If we do these, this country is going to development at a much faster rate,” remarked Raila.
“That is why I appeal to Parliament to implement what we had put in our agreement that Ksh450 billion be allocated to counties in this year’s budget,” he stressed.
