KENYAN BUDGET PROMOTES MENTALITY OF 'OUR OWN MUST BE PRESIDENT'
WHY MORE BUDGETARY ALLOCATION MUST BE TO COUNTIES.
Kenyan budget has skyrocketed from 1 trillion in 2015/2017 financial year to 2 trillion in 2016/2017 financial year and now to 3 trillion the highest we have ever had and also the highest in east and central Africa.
As usual it has thrown a doubt on the commitment of this nation to devolution. The National government still has to pocket the highest amount as counties are left with small amounts.
With the current looting spree in this country, it would have served us better as a country to cut down on our budget and restructure it because even as we increase it, we are increasing it for people to ‘eat’.
We decided to have devotion so that we could reduce the appetite for the Presidency but then it seems otherwise. When the Presidency is left with almost more than half of the National budget, we are not helping dismantle the mentality of ‘unless one of us is President, then there is no development for us'.
We accepted devotion so that we may decentralize power and resources but it seems we are still stuck in the previous mentality that the Presidency is our salvation and we are at the mercy of tribal chiefs who ascend to power through whichever means they employ.
There are communities in this country who only know how to pay taxes but do not see the fruits of their taxes because a person who is from a different tribe is the president of the republic.
We have even had leaders say ‘they want to support certain people for president so that they can get developments in their community'. This is prove that we are still slaves of the office of the president and any tribal chief who ascends to that position.
If this country is to realize equality to everyone regardless of the tribe or community, we must devolve more funds to the counties to enable the devolution dream to be realized. If we do not, we shall continue the tribal fights to gain the presidency so that ‘our’ own can control the ‘development’.
Devolution has had so much impact in the lives of Kenyans within the short time we have had it.
There are areas that have never seen a tarmac road since independence but now have seen one. If we empowered counties we shall have more developments in the country than ever.
By Abala Kinyua
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| Photo; Courtesy |
Kenyan budget has skyrocketed from 1 trillion in 2015/2017 financial year to 2 trillion in 2016/2017 financial year and now to 3 trillion the highest we have ever had and also the highest in east and central Africa.
As usual it has thrown a doubt on the commitment of this nation to devolution. The National government still has to pocket the highest amount as counties are left with small amounts.
With the current looting spree in this country, it would have served us better as a country to cut down on our budget and restructure it because even as we increase it, we are increasing it for people to ‘eat’.
We decided to have devotion so that we could reduce the appetite for the Presidency but then it seems otherwise. When the Presidency is left with almost more than half of the National budget, we are not helping dismantle the mentality of ‘unless one of us is President, then there is no development for us'.
We accepted devotion so that we may decentralize power and resources but it seems we are still stuck in the previous mentality that the Presidency is our salvation and we are at the mercy of tribal chiefs who ascend to power through whichever means they employ.
There are communities in this country who only know how to pay taxes but do not see the fruits of their taxes because a person who is from a different tribe is the president of the republic.
We have even had leaders say ‘they want to support certain people for president so that they can get developments in their community'. This is prove that we are still slaves of the office of the president and any tribal chief who ascends to that position.
If this country is to realize equality to everyone regardless of the tribe or community, we must devolve more funds to the counties to enable the devolution dream to be realized. If we do not, we shall continue the tribal fights to gain the presidency so that ‘our’ own can control the ‘development’.
Devolution has had so much impact in the lives of Kenyans within the short time we have had it.
There are areas that have never seen a tarmac road since independence but now have seen one. If we empowered counties we shall have more developments in the country than ever.
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