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Kenya’s 13-year devolution journey has improved resource allocation and public services in marginalised regions.[Courtesy]
Kenyans overwhelmingly voted for the 2010 Constitution because they believed devolution was the answer to their problems.
For nearly five decades following independence, Nairobi held monopoly on national power and public resources, entrenching historical marginalisation across neglected regions from the Coast to the vast northern frontier. The creation of 47 county governments was designed specifically to dismantle the imperial presidency, end winner-take-all ethnic competition, and bring essential public services directly to the doorstep of ordinary citizens for whom remote central governance had failed.
Thirteen years into this democratic experiment, empirical data shows devolution has fundamentally altered Kenya's socio-economic landscape. Money has indeed followed the mandate. In the 2025/26 financial year, counties are projected to receive a monumental Sh633.3 billion, with health allocations alone rising by 11.7 percent to Sh154.58 billion.
