The cold war between governors and MPs has escalated recently.
The main reason is the governors’ push for more funds to be devolved to the counties.
It is a good idea for counties to get the lion’s share of the government’s revenue because the majority of devolved functions in the grassroots require maximum funding.
However, it is inappropriate for the county government bosses to keep pressurizing the national government to give them more money. They should first account for what they have.
This is not the right time to ask for more money to the counties because a lot of graft charges are pending against most county bosses.
Thus, it sends a bad picture to Kenyans. There is the need for the county bosses to unite and put in place strategies to ensure the available county funds are properly channelled.
Locals should be able to spot a number of projects that have been facilitated by the county funds so as to have trust in the governors’ directives.
Majority of the counties have pending graft charges against their governors and top county officials. Besides, a notable portion of the devolved funds is yet to be fully accounted for as per the Auditor General Edward Ouko's reports.
It is a time when the confidence of Kenyans in county governments' ability to properly manage funds has gone low.
Hence, governors should go slow as far as pushing for more funds is concerned. It is not genuine to ask for more when you can not properly account for what you have been given.
That is why President Uhuru Kenyatta recently told the governors to adequately use what they have first before asking for more.