Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called for a major overhaul of Kenya’s devolved system of governance, arguing that counties should have more autonomy over key sectors such as education, infrastructure, and resource allocation.

Speaking on Thursday, August 14, 2025, at the 9th Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County, Raila outlined a series of reforms aimed at strengthening county governments and improving service delivery across the nation.

Raila, a key architect of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, emphasised that devolution was intended to empower local communities and that the time had come to extend these powers further.

“The time has come for Kenya to devolve education up to secondary school. It makes no sense to see a Minister of Education inspecting primary school structures or construction in counties. That is the work that should be done by the governors,” he said.

Currently, counties only manage Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centres, leaving primary and secondary schools under the national government. Raila argued that this arrangement has led to duplication of duties, inefficiency, and weak accountability.

“Centralism comes with some bad habits; it thrives on keeping the whole country waiting for Nairobi to make decisions on very local issues that Nairobi knows little or nothing about. Devolution beats centralism at allowing local people to make decisions on local issues,” he noted, describing centralism as outdated.

Devolution of education

Raila proposed that primary and secondary schools should be managed by counties, leaving national oversight only for policy and standards. He argued that governors are better placed to supervise schools in their regions than distant national officials.

County management of roads

Raila suggested that all urban and rural roads be managed by county governments, while the national government focuses on international highways and trunk roads.

“There is no reason roads in Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret and other towns cannot be managed by the governor. It does not make sense that somebody in Nairobi, called KURA, has to come,” he said.

He added that simultaneous road projects in all 47 counties could significantly boost economic growth.

Transfer of NG-CDF and NGAAF funds

Raila called for the abolition of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) and the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), proposing that all funds under these programmes be channelled to counties. He argued that these funds, introduced under a centralised system, had outlived their purpose.

“Most of the work was basically left to harambees. When you needed to build a school, harambee; a dispensary, harambee,” he recalled.

He emphasised that MPs should focus on representing the people, legislating, and overseeing the national government, not building schools or distributing bursaries.

Pensions for two-term governors

Raila proposed that governors serving two full terms should qualify for pensions, similar to Members of Parliament. He argued that this recognition would encourage stability in county leadership and reward governors for their service.

“In Parliament, we did an amendment so that any MP who serves two terms is entitled to a pension. Why can’t we do the same for governors?” he asked.

Oversight on governors

On oversight, Raila proposed that county assemblies should be the sole bodies supervising governors, criticising the Senate for summoning county executives to Nairobi.

“County governments are supposed to be overseen by county assemblies, not the Senate. It is unnecessary for the Senate to summon governors to appear in Nairobi,” he said.

He also suggested a national incentive system to reward top-performing counties excelling in poverty reduction, youth employment, and environmental conservation.

“We need transparent and independent performance reporting at the counties to give the public access to data they can use to evaluate and compare counties,” he added.

Raila also addressed corruption, supporting President William Ruto’s criticism of the judiciary. He highlighted concerns over the misuse of anticipatory bail and the perception that justice can be bought.

“A criminal, when supposed to be arrested, rushes to court and obtains an order stopping the arrest. So the judiciary is a major impediment too. Corruption resides in the judiciary,” he said.

Concluding his address, Raila reiterated his vision of a balanced power structure between Nairobi and the counties. He emphasised that both levels of government must operate effectively without one dominating the other.

“I believe in devolution; I believe in more, not less, devolution. I believe in a balance of power between Nairobi and the counties; neither should stand in the way of the other. I believe in strong county executives overseen by equally strong county assemblies,” he said.

The former Prime Minister’s proposals challenge the current balance of power between national and county governments. By calling for expanded devolution, Raila aims to put more decision-making authority in the hands of local leaders, who are better positioned to understand and respond to community needs. These changes, he argues, would also reduce bureaucracy, increase efficiency, and strengthen accountability.