County governments have been put on notice to strengthen systems that curb corruption and wastage, as they take charge of billions of shillings worth of land and buildings transferred from the national government.
The call comes at a time when counties are enjoying steady growth in their own source revenue, alongside expanded responsibilities following the formal transfer of all 14 devolved functions.
Speaking during the official opening of the 9th Devolution Conference in Homa Bay, President William Ruto announced that, through Gazette Notice No. 11164 of August 12, 2025, the ownership of immovable assets including 50,000 parcels of land and 80,000 buildings has been formally handed to the counties.
“We have gazetted immovable assets, that is, land and buildings, to transfer ownership to the counties a process that has eluded us for the last 12 years. All 14 devolved functions have been conclusively delineated, bundled, and gazetted. This milestone removes decades-old ambiguities that hampered service delivery and fueled intergovernmental disputes,” said the President.
Council of Governors Chair and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi hailed the move as a landmark moment in the country’s devolution journey. “Devolution is indeed the truest and most progressive definition of bottom-up social, economic and political transformation,” he said.
However, leaders warned that the benefits of asset transfer could be undermined by weak governance, especially corruption. Counties have been urged to automate more services, including revenue collection, to plug leakages and improve efficiency.
Nyeri Governor and CoG Vice-Chair Dr. Mutahi Kahiga noted that counties collected Ksh 58.95 billion in own-source revenue in the 2023/24 financial year the highest performance in over a decade with ten counties surpassing their annual targets.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga praised devolution’s role in improving livelihoods, enhancing service delivery, and advancing social justice. “Our task is to make devolution work for all Kenyans, deliver equity, inclusion, and social justice, closing the socio-economic divide and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of leaving no one behind,” she said.
The conference, themed “For the People, For Prosperity: Devolution as a Catalyst for Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice”, is expected to attract at least 10,000 delegates.
