NAIVASHA, Kenya- Katiba Institute Executive Director Nora Mbagathi has challenged journalists to go beyond reporting political statements and instead scrutinise whether Kenya’s devolved system of government is being implemented as envisioned under the Constitution.
Speaking to Y News on the sidelines of the Senior Editors’ Forum on Devolution in Naivasha, Mbagathi said while devolution has transformed governance by bringing services closer to citizens, its implementation remains far from complete.
“We can’t say devolution is fully working,” she said.
“Frequently, devolution as it is drafted in the Constitution, as it was intended by the people who drafted the Constitution, and even as it’s being interpreted by the courts, does not match the reality on the ground.”
The forum, organised by Katiba Institute, brought together senior editors from across Kenya to discuss the media’s role in strengthening public understanding of devolution, constitutional governance and county accountability.
Mbagathi said the 2010 Constitution envisioned a system where power, decision-making and resources would be devolved to counties to promote equitable development across the country.
“The idea of devolution in our Constitution was to bring power closer to the people, to bring decision-making closer to the people and to ensure there is equity across our different counties and regions,” she said.
She urged journalists to investigate governance issues beyond political rhetoric, particularly where questions arise over county funding, expenditure and corruption.
“When there are allegations of corruption at county level, interrogate them and relate them to what the Constitution actually says. We can’t just take quotes as they are being said. We need to interrogate them and give context.”
According to Mbagathi, one of the biggest obstacles facing devolution is the failure to fairly distribute national resources to county governments as required by the Constitution.
She argued that counties should not receive only what remains after the national government has allocated funds to itself.
“It is not that the national government should make its resources and then give whatever is left over to the counties. That is unconstitutional,” she said.
Instead, she called for equitable sharing of resources between the two levels of government, saying financial inequality continues to undermine the objectives of devolution.
Mbagathi acknowledged that county governments must also be held accountable for corruption and poor governance, noting that Katiba Institute has previously litigated and advocated for transparency at the county level.
However, she maintained that counties can only effectively deliver services if they receive adequate funding as envisaged by the Constitution.
She also identified weak public participation as another major challenge limiting the success of devolution.
“To what extent are people really participating in the rights that they have under the Constitution?” she posed.
“How far are we really bringing rights down to the ground where they should be originating from?”
Mbagathi said journalists have a unique responsibility to help citizens understand how devolution works, explain constitutional principles and hold both county and national governments accountable.
She said informed reporting is essential to ensuring Kenyans can effectively participate in governance and demand accountability from leaders at all levels.
The Senior Editors’ Forum sought to equip newsroom leaders with a deeper understanding of constitutional provisions on devolution, with the aim of improving the quality, accuracy and context of reporting on county governments and governance issues.