Raila Odinga, CS Mbadi, DP Kindiki Highlight Devolution, 7 Billion Shillings FLOCA Fund, Education Transfer at Kenya’s 9th Devolution Conference

At the 9th Devolution Conference 2025 in Kenya, key government leaders including former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki emphasized the importance of strengthening devolution to enhance service delivery, equity, and local governance. Raila Odinga advocated for reducing the Senate's role in summoning governors, asserting that county assemblies should provide oversight instead. He called for devolving authority over education up to secondary school and transferring responsibility for urban and rural roads to county governments, while the national government manages international highways. Odinga also proposed incentive arrangements between the national government and counties to reward those delivering the best services in areas such as poverty reduction and youth unemployment. Additionally, he highlighted the need for digital devolution to improve county services and combat corruption. CS John Mbadi reported that for the first time in years, all county funds, including arrears, were transferred before the end of the fiscal year, with July allocations already disbursed. The Treasury has also allocated 7 billion Kenyan shillings to all 47 counties under the FLOCA program to support locally-led climate resilience projects. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki reaffirmed the government's commitment to devolution as a tool for equity, inclusion, and transformative service delivery, emphasizing job creation, universal health coverage, and youth engagement. The conference concluded with discussions on challenges such as corruption and the judiciary's role in impeding anti-corruption efforts.