Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has affirmed that the government remains fully committed to upholding devolution, declaring that no administration has the capacity to undo the progress made over the past 15 years.
Speaking on Monday during the 27th Ordinary Session of the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) held at his Karen office, Kindiki stated that devolution has grown too strong to be reversed.
“Nobody has the capacity to roll back devolution. It is so strong that no administration has the capacity to roll back even an inch of it,” said Kindiki.
IBEC serves as a key platform for consultation and cooperation between the National and County Governments on finance, economic planning, and budget matters.
Kindiki underscored the constitutional design that provides for a single government with executive authority exercised at both national and county levels. He urged collaboration, not competition, between the two.
“We are already undertaking some concurrent functions seamlessly. In health, we have the Community Health Promoters and Taifa Care programmes, which we are rolling out without much quarrel—and I must commend the governors,” he said.
Acknowledging the occasional disputes between the two levels of government, Kindiki drew comparisons with long-established devolved systems, such as Australia’s, where intergovernmental wrangles over funding still exist.
He praised the National Treasury for its performance in county disbursements, stating that Sh387.26 billion—representing 99 per cent of the 2024/2025 allocations—had already been released. The remaining Sh17 billion for June is expected to be disbursed before the end of the financial year.
“We don’t have any pending allocations apart from June’s, which will be released on time,” he confirmed.
The Deputy President reiterated the administration’s focus on promoting harmony between national and county governments, with service delivery as the central goal.
The Council of Governors has since called for structured collaboration between all stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of development projects across the country.