Kisii County Budget and Devolution

The 2010 Kenyan constitution established devolved governance, creating 47 counties with their own elected governments and substantial budgetary authority. Kisii County (and later Nyamira County, split off in 2013) gained control over education, health, water, agriculture, and local infrastructure spending. This shift represented a significant transfer of fiscal responsibility from the central government to the county level.

County Budget Overview

Kisii County's annual budget fluctuates based on national revenue allocation and local internally generated revenue. In recent years (2018-2023), the county budget has ranged from approximately KES 10-14 billion (USD 80-110 million) annually.

The budget is allocated through several streams:

1. Central government's equitable share (primary source, approximately 80% of budget)
2. Conditional allocations from the national government for specific programs
3. Internally generated revenue (IGR) from county rates, licenses, and fees (approximately 5-10% of budget)
4. Development partners and donor funding

Kisii's budget per capita (approximately USD 130-180 annually, given a population over 700,000) is modest by international standards, though typical for Kenyan counties.

Devolution and Service Delivery Changes (2013-2023)

Devolution was intended to bring government services closer to citizens and allow counties to tailor spending to local needs. In Kisii, the impact has been mixed:

Positive developments:

1. Infrastructure expansion - county governments invested in local road construction and rehabilitation, improving connectivity in rural areas. Secondary roads that had deteriorated significantly were repaired, making rural markets more accessible.

2. Health facility expansion - some county resources were directed toward establishing health clinics and dispensaries in remote areas, improving primary health care access for previously underserved populations.

3. Water projects - some county budgets funded water kiosks, boreholes, and piping projects, though water remains scarce and inadequate in many areas.

4. Devolved education spending - counties took responsibility for pre-primary and some secondary education costs, reducing direct household burden, though teacher recruitment and facility maintenance remained challenging.

Challenges and limitations:

1. Capacity constraints - county administrations in Kisii initially lacked technical expertise in planning, budgeting, and project implementation. This limited the efficiency of spending and contributed to project delays.

2. Corruption and misallocation - anecdotal evidence and audit reports suggest significant corruption in county procurement and project implementation. Substantial sums allocated for projects were not fully accounted for or delivered.

3. Political spending - county budgets were sometimes used for political patronage rather than development. Funds were allocated to projects in politically favored areas, creating inequality in service delivery.

4. Inadequate central government transfers - the central government's promised transfers to counties were often delayed or less than expected, forcing counties to cut spending plans mid-year.

5. Limited fiscal autonomy - counties depend overwhelmingly on central government transfers, limiting their autonomy. Internally generated revenue remains minimal, constraining spending flexibility.

Education Spending

Kisii County has responsibility for pre-primary education and some secondary school costs. The county budget includes allocations for:

1. Teacher recruitment - particularly for pre-primary and secondary schools, though teacher shortages persist
2. School infrastructure - maintenance and construction of classroom facilities
3. Scholarships - limited bursary programs for needy students

However, most secondary school teacher salaries and operations remained under national government control, creating coordination challenges. By 2020s, there was ongoing debate about optimizing responsibility between county and national governments for education provision.

Health Spending

Kisii County oversees primary health care facilities (dispensaries, health centers) and some hospital functions. Budget allocations include:

1. Staff recruitment - health workers at county facilities
2. Medical supplies - drugs and medical equipment procurement
3. Facility maintenance - repairs and operations
4. Disease surveillance - particularly after COVID-19, county health budgets included pandemic preparedness

However, major referral hospitals (like Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital) remained under national government management, creating service fragmentation. County health budgets were consistently inadequate to meet service demands, resulting in frequent stockouts of essential medicines and supplies.

Infrastructure Spending

County budgets allocated substantial sums to roads, water, and agricultural infrastructure:

1. Roads - secondary and tertiary road construction and maintenance consumed significant budgets. However, the backlog of road rehabilitation remained enormous relative to available funding.

2. Water - boreholes, water kiosks, and piping projects received funding, though water remains scarce and project maintenance is inconsistent.

3. Agriculture - extension services, seed multiplication, and irrigation schemes received some funding, though agricultural spending remained modest relative to farming's importance to the county economy.

Political Leadership: Governors

James Ongwae (2013-2022) - Kisii County's first elected governor, representing the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Ongwae's tenure focused on institutional establishment and infrastructure projects, though his administration faced accountability challenges and corruption allegations.

Erick Nyamboga - briefly served as governor following contested elections but was later replaced through the electoral commission's interventions.

Unnamed/Multiple administrators - the Kisii governorship was subject to considerable political contestation, with elections in 2017, 2022, and periodic disruption.

Robert Mong'are - became Nyamira County governor in 2022, reflecting the political realignment as the county assumed full administrative autonomy.

For Kisii County proper post-split, governors included various administrators reflecting national political coalitions. The governorship has rotated between ODM and Jubilee (later UDA) parties, reflecting Kisii's political volatility.

Fiscal Performance and Accountability

County audit reports have revealed consistent concerns:

1. Pending bills - counties accumulate unpaid bills for suppliers and contractors, indicating budget overexpenditure or slow payment
2. Unused appropriations - funds allocated but not spent, indicating poor planning or implementation capacity
3. Procurement irregularities - awards of tenders to preferred contractors without competitive processes
4. Staff payroll bloat - some counties employed excessive numbers of administrative staff relative to service delivery staff

Kisii County's audit reports from the Office of the Auditor General have flagged similar issues, though the severity varies by year and administration.

The 2013 County Split

The division of Kisii into Kisii and Nyamira counties in 2013 required careful budgetary division. Revenue allocation, staff assignment, and asset distribution between the two counties proceeded over several years, creating some transition confusion. However, by 2015, both counties had established distinct budgetary frameworks and operations.

Devolution Reforms and Future Direction

By the 2020s, the Kenyan government began reconsidering the devolution architecture, with proposals to reduce the number of county functions or recentralize certain services. Kisii leaders have debated the optimal level of devolved authority, with some arguing for greater county autonomy and others suggesting certain services (particularly health and education) should be recentralized to improve efficiency.

See Also

• Kisii County - administrative context
• Devolved government in Kenya - governance structure
• Nyamira County - sister county split
• Kenya County governments - comparative budgets
• Public finance in Kenya - national fiscal system
• County governance challenges in Kenya - implementation issues

Sources

1. Kenya National Treasury. "County Governments' Budget Performance Reports." Nairobi, 2021.

2. Office of the Auditor General. "Kisii County Audit Report." Nairobi, 2020.

3. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1799903

4. Mold, Andrew and Stephanie Mukasa. "Devolution and Public Resource Management in Kenya." London: Overseas Development Institute, 2017.

5. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/commonwealth-and-comparative-politics