President Uhuru Kenyatta. [Photo/the-star.co.ke]
President Uhuru Kenyatta approved the release of funds, 77 billion shillings, to the counties.
The 47 counties are now free to pursue their development agendas and deliver services to the citizens of Kenya.
Many of the county administrations have been bearing the burden of huge debts and there is fear that a bulk of the funds may go into servicing debts
''Many county administrations are coming in with lots of debt, either incurred by them or by previous administrations. My fear is that the bulk of this money may be consumed by debts. I think we should be questioning where the money is going to do. There is no point in celebrating money that is not going into development.'' John Githaka, a governance expert, and political commentator said in a panel discussion on Citizen.
These remarks are likely not to go down well with county residents who want to see governors undertaking development projects that will improve their lives.
They want roads, hospitals, bursaries among many other things.
Another relevant concern is that the money may end up in people's pockets as opposed to development.
The auditor general called out certain previous county governments for embezzling funds.