Ottichilo warns bloated wage bill eats up to 60 per cent of county budgets
By Kiprono Keileb, August 13, 2025Vihiga County Governor Wilber Ottichilo has sounded the alarm over what he describes as one of the biggest threats to devolution, a ballooning wage bill that is consuming the bulk of county funds and stifling development.
Speaking in an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Ottichilo noted that many counties are burdened by high salary costs, with 40 per cent to 60 per cent of their annual budgets going to staff pay instead of key development projects.
“The biggest problem most of the counties are suffering from is a bloated wage bill. When we got into devolution, ideally, the previous local governments were supposed to be dissolved, and their workers sent home so that counties could start afresh. That didn’t happen,” he said.
According to Ottichilo, counties ended up inheriting the entire workforce of the defunct local authorities. Instead of restructuring, new administrations went on to recruit even more employees, worsening the financial strain.
“Most of the resources we get, up to 60 per cent, go to the wage bill. Hence, little money remains for development,” he noted.
The governor cautioned that without urgent reforms, counties will continue to face stalled projects and poor service delivery, despite receiving billions each year through the national government’s equitable share.
Ottichilo’s remarks come as the debate on devolution enters its second decade, with stakeholders questioning whether the system is delivering on its promise to bring services closer to the people.
An unsustainably high wage bill steadily drains county resources, leaving less funding available for critical investments in infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, education, and other development priorities that directly improve the quality of life for residents.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has previously urged counties to audit their workforce and adopt leaner staffing models to free up more resources for development. However, political considerations and pressure from employees’ unions have made large-scale retrenchments a politically risky move.
Ottichilo said the conversation on wage bill reforms must be approached boldly if counties are to fulfil their development mandate.
“We have to find a way of reducing the wage bill so that a bigger share of our resources goes into projects that change people’s lives,” he said.
His remarks are expected to reignite calls for a national dialogue on restructuring county staffing, with a focus on striking the right balance between creating and sustaining jobs and ensuring that resources are channelled into tangible development projects that directly benefit citizens.