Lusaka: There's room to improve devolution
Western
By
Mary Imenza
| May 29, 2026
(L) Bungoma Governor Lusaka hosted The Standard Group Plc CEO Chaacha Mwita at his home in Mapera village, Bungoma County, May 28, 2026. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]
Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka has called for the strengthening of devolution, saying counties have the potential to transform the economy and lives.
Lusaka painted a rosy picture of a future where counties are at the centre of the success of the country, underscoring the progress so far under devolution.
He was speaking in Bungoma when he hosted a delegation from The Standard Group led by Group Chief Executive Officer Chaacha Mwita.
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“There are several gains that have taken place under devolution. Citizens are now more involved in governance, and it has opened the space for residents to embrace development,” said Lusaka.
The former Senate Speaker claimed that public participation has improved significantly as a result of devolution.
“In the budget-making process, for example, the process was a tightly guarded secret. However, this has changed significantly, and people have been allowed to express their views about their priority projects.”
(L) Bungoma Governor Lusaka hosted The Standard Group Plc CEO Chaacha Mwita at his home in Mapera village, Bungoma County, May 28, 2026. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]
He recounted how, in the past, a senior State officer was sacked for leaking the budget, and hailed devolution for its role in improving transparency and inclusive participation of Kenyans in governance and development.
Lusaka also proposed a higher threshold for impeaching a governor.
“It is very difficult to impeach an MP or an MCA, but it is very easy to impeach a governor and that is something that needs to be looked at,” he said.
As part of measures to improve devolution, Lusaka called for the strengthening of County Assemblies. He claimed that some ward representatives have impeded development.
“There are times governors want to undertake a major project and include it in the budget only for it to be altered,” said Lusaka.
“The impact of devolution will be better when we have good MCAs and good governors,” he said.
The county chief said Kenya will have witnessed a massive transformation by the 20th year of devolution.
He said his administration had completed several projects that had stalled when he first served as governor between 2013 and 2017.
“There are projects that we started during my first term, such as the Lusaka Road in Bungoma, but stalled. I am now in the process of completing them,” said Lusaka.
He challenged Kenyans to stop politicising development projects.
Mr Mwita said devolution is becoming more entrenched in the country and called for respect for the rule of law and the Constitution.
Separately, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Migori’s Ochillo Ayacko pledged to work with the media to improve coverage of the devolved units.