Gov Kang’ata decries chronic salary and project delays in counties
By Cynthia Lodite, September 1, 2025Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata has raised concerns over the effectiveness of devolution, citing chronic delays in salary payments and project implementation of several counties.
Speaking on Monday, September 1, 2025, during an interview with a local radio station, Kang’ata noted that some county governments are taking up to four months to pay their workers, leading to a ripple effect on service delivery and economic activity.
“There are some counties that pay salaries after two, three, or four months. It also means delayed implementation of projects. If you were to build a classroom today, you would build it in four, three months,” Kang’ata said.
On his part, the Muranga Governor added that delayed payments have also hurt local suppliers and contractors who depend on timely disbursements to stay afloat.
“It means a delay in the payment of suppliers and contractors. If you were to pay them today, then it means you’ll pay them after four months,” he noted.
In addition, the best-performing Governor has further questioned whether devolution is achieving its intended goals, pointing out that while the system was meant to bring services closer to the people, it is now causing unnecessary suffering and inefficiencies due to poor financial management.
Raila remarks on dismissing devolution
His remarks follow that of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who has reiterated his call for the government to re-examine devolution to efficiently serve the country’s needs.
Speaking during the commemoration of the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution on Katiba Day at KICC, Raila explained that the current provincial administration should be removed to make room for modern systems.
On his part, Raila questioned why Kenya has 47 devolved units, while a continent like the United States has 52, including federal districts and territories.
Alluding to this, he proposed a three-tier system that would comprise: county, regional and national governments to enhance development.
“I believe the time has come to re-examine the entire model of devolution. For instance, Nigeria, with over 200 million people, has fewer states compared to the number of counties we have,” he stated.
“I am not proposing the abolition of any county, but I believe the provincial administration is a colonial relic that should be done away with.”