Justina Wamae calls for overhaul of devolution funding system
By Faith Lagat, July 26, 2025Former Roots Party presidential running mate Justina Wamae has sparked renewed debate over the management of public funds in marginalised counties, calling for a radical shift in how Kenya approaches devolved financing.
In a strongly worded post shared on X Saturday, July 26, 2025, Wamae challenged both national and county leadership to face the hard truths around free education and the persistent underdevelopment in historically disadvantaged regions.
“It is time for us Kenyans to be honest as a country and ask the hard questions regarding free education and marginalised counties,” she wrote. “The marginalised counties have been receiving allocation from the national government for the last 12 years since the advent of devolution, which is spelt out in CoK 2010.”
Wamae highlighted concerns about how billions of shillings sent to counties such as Turkana (13.8% allocation) and Lamu (3.4%) for the 2025/2026 financial year are being used. She questioned whether these funds, including NG-CDF and NGAO allocations, are truly improving lives or simply enriching a few.
“Now forget about the other years; let’s talk about the Financial Year 2025/2026. The counties will receive money as attached. What will those in leadership do with the money, including what the constituencies in those marginalised counties receive as NG-CDF coupled with NGAO funds?” she asked.
Devolution
Despite over a decade of devolved governance, Wamae argued that the system continues to suffer from mismanagement and lack of transparency.
Her remarks come amid troubling indicators, such as a 2020 Uwezo report that found 57 percent of out-of-school children are from 11 marginalised counties—raising questions about whether funding is translating into results.
She rooted her criticism in the Constitution, referencing Article 207, which guides county revenue funds, and stressed the urgent need to “order the disorder” in the current funding model. “What is ailing this country is lack of accountability,” she said. “Everybody must pull their weight, their ideas, creativity, and innovation towards nation building.”
Wamae criticised what she termed a culture of dependency and self-enrichment within county administrations. “Hii maneno ya watu wanakaa chini wakingoja pesa zitumwe from the National Government wajinufaishe badala ya kunufaisha wananchi must come to an end,” she said.
Her sentiments come as Kenya prepares to roll out the World Bank’s Sh19 billion Kenya Devolution Support Programme for 2025.
Her call is a reminder that good governance remains a shared responsibility—one that begins with transparency, bold leadership, and active citizen oversight.