By Billy Mijungu
The Constitution, which stands as the supreme law of the land, assigns Members of Parliament the critical role of oversight. However, over the last two decades, Parliament has gradually expanded its reach into the domain of the Executive by establishing and controlling funds such as the National Government Constituency Development Fund and numerous other ward-based initiatives across counties.
This shift has turned what should be a system of checks and balances into a power play for resource control.
In its current form, the NG CDF has become a slush fund for Members of Parliament. This is one of the main reasons why some MPs have payslips that are heavily overcommitted, sometimes reading near zero, while their personal lifestyles remain noticeably unaffected. The disconnect between income and visible expenditure speaks volumes.
It is time to make devolution work as it was intended. A good starting point is to reassign or dissolve national agencies like the Kenya Urban Roads Authority and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority, and leave the responsibility of local road maintenance entirely to county governments.
This would allow counties to take full ownership of local infrastructure and service delivery.
To relieve MPs from the persistent pressure of attending to individual constituent needs, certain national reforms should be put in place.
Basic education should be made absolutely free for every Kenyan. The Social Health Authority Act should be amended to include coverage for funeral and burial expenses, which remain a major source of financial strain for elected leaders.
In addition, salaries for MPs should be reviewed and enhanced to at least two million shillings per month, while those of Members of County Assemblies should be raised to five hundred thousand shillings. With such adjustments, MPs would be better positioned to focus on their constitutional duties rather than personal interventions.
These changes would in turn shift the spotlight to governors, who must be held accountable for the delivery of services within their counties. The NG CDF can be replaced by a County Leaders Board where development priorities are identified through open discussions among stakeholders. This Board would assess needs and make commitments at the ward and constituency level before the county budget is finalized. Such a structure would promote transparency and strengthen oversight.
Additionally, the process of selecting governors should be professionalized. Instead of being elected, governors should be competitively recruited through a County Selection Panel composed of all MPs from the county, the Speaker of the County Assembly, the Majority and Minority leaders, and a Secretariat from the County Public Service Board.
The successful candidate would be employed on a six-year contract with the possibility of a one-time three-year renewal based on performance. This system would improve leadership quality and significantly reduce the cost of elections.
The time is ripe for a national referendum to actualize these objectives and elevate devolution to its full potential.
