Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro, CS Mwangi Kiunjuri and Senator Omar Hassan at Pride Inn Hotel in Mombasa. Photo/ the-star.co.ke
Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar has said devolution has flopped terribly, arguing that it has only made governors the new colonial bosses.
Speaking in Mombasa during the ongoing 2nd Annual Legislative Summit, Omar said Kenyans have not reaped much from devolution due to poor governance at the county level.
The Senator also said that county bosses have taken advantage of devolution to enrich themselves as the common mwananchi continues to languish in abject poverty, adding that there is nothing to smile about since the promulgation of the new Constitution.
“It is shameful that we have demonstrated our failures 50 years on after independence. We are still launching toilets, yet sanitation has not been improved,” he said, as quoted by The Star.
He also said that the main aim of creating devolved governments was to empower Kenyans but that has not been the case considering the increased cases of massive runaway corruption in different counties.
“Devolution can never be about exclusion and creating feudal chiefs, but a promise to a better Kenya,” Omar said.
He further asked the Senate to carry out its mandate without any fear or favour, adding that the law has to be respected for Kenya to attain vision 2030.
“Those who are worse must be better off before those who are better off become well off,” he said.