Government pledges seamless transfer of devolved functions

Business
By Antony Gitonga | Jan 24, 2024

The national government has reiterated commitment to transfer the pending devolved functions to the counties by end of February.

The Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC) said the transferred functions will be followed by resources which have been a bone of contention between the two levels of government.

This emerged during a meeting between the IGRTC and the Co-operatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui (pictured) at Sawela Lodge, Naivasha.

The committee exuded confidence of finishing the transfer of devolved functions next month.

Mr Chelugui said the government would ensure seamless transfer of devolved functions as enshrined in the Constitution to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

"After the summit which was shared by the President, we agreed on the timelines on the transfer of all the pending functions and this is on course," he said.

Addressing the press on the sidelines of the meeting, Chelugui said that the issue of resources for the pending functions was being handled by the Commission of Revenue Allocation.

"There have been questions on whether the resources will follow the devolved functions and this will be taken care of by the Commission of Revenue Allocation," he said.

The CS revealed that all co-operative functions and resources would be transferred in the ongoing process that is expected to end in February.

He said that the dairy sector had done well due to the farmer owned co-operative societies.

"The co-operative movement recorded a 12 per cent growth last year and we project that things will get better when all the co-operative functions are fully devolved," he said.

On his part, IGRTC Chairman Kithinji Kiragu said that they would support counties in capacity building as part of unbundling of the functions.

"We want to make sure that the transfer of function process does not interfere with service delivery and that it's within the law and acceptable by both levels of government," he said.

Kiragu lauded the collaboration between the national and county governments in the transfer of devolved functions.

"The President had given us 60 days to make sure that all pending devolved functions are transferred to counties and we shall meet that by the end of February," he said.

Share this story
Mbadi's Sh1tr domestic debt shocker in 2026-27 Budget
The government plans to borrow heavily from the domestic market to finance the budget deficit for the 2026-27 financial year.
Growing economy fails to fill pockets and plates
Despite the impressive indicators at the national level, the average Kenyan is grappling with high cost of living, increased tax burden and stagnant or reducing income
New Year, old problem: Kenyans' struggle with high living cost persists
Households across the country are grappling with the steep cost of staples like maize flour, vegetables, and meat as they start the New Year 2026.
Tea volumes at auction dip in 2025
In 2025, the Mombasa Tea Auction recorded the sale of 437.3 million kilograms of tea, a decrease from the 462.1 million kilograms sold in 2024.
December inflation rate steadies at 4.5pc despite price hikes
Kenya’s inflation rate in December 2025 remained at 4.5 per cent, unchanged from November, driven by higher prices of food, transport and electricity, KNBS says.
.
RECOMMENDED NEWS