Homa Bay: List of Major Reforms Proposed by Raila Odinga to Support Devolution
- Raila Odinga unveiled sweeping proposals to strengthen devolution and streamline service delivery across counties
- The ODM leader wants top-performing counties rewarded, rural and urban roads transferred to counties, and the CDF scrapped
- He also called for the devolution of education to secondary level, pensions for two-term governors, and clearer oversight roles for MCAs
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
Homa Bay’s 2025 devolution conference turned into a blueprint session for Kenya’s governance future as Raila Odinga laid out a bold set of proposals.
Source: Facebook
Speaking as chief guest at the event held at the lakeside county, the ODM leader urged a fresh review of devolution to match the pace of a rapidly changing world.
Raila, a key figure in the push for the 2010 Constitution that birthed the county system, argued that the time had come to refine and expand the functions devolved to counties.
Below are some of Raila's proposals:
1. Rewards for top-performing counties
Raila suggested a national incentive system to recognise counties that excel in service delivery.
He said counties achieving progress in areas like poverty reduction, youth unemployment, and environmental conservation should receive priority rewards from the national government.
“I propose that there be incentive arrangements between the national and county governments through which the national government will reward those counties that deliver the best services. 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 said.
He added that open access to such data would empower citizens to make better decisions about where to live, work, and invest, while also motivating counties to innovate.
2. Pension for two-term governors
The ODM leader proposed that governors serving two full terms should qualify for a pension, similar to members of Parliament.
He said this would acknowledge their contribution to governance and encourage stability in county leadership.
He pointed out that MPs already benefit from a similar arrangement after a constitutional amendment, and urged lawmakers to extend this privilege to governors.
According to Raila, such reforms would promote the spirit of devolution and reduce friction between county and national governments.
3. County assemblies as sole oversight bodies
Raila said that governors should be overseen by county assemblies, not the Senate.
“I believe in strong county executives, overseen by strong county assemblies. I believe in a Kenya that sees the strength of each of the 47 counties,” he said.
He criticised the practice of summoning governors to Nairobi, calling it a waste of time.
He added that only county executive committee members should appear to explain issues, leaving governors to focus on running their counties.
Source: Facebook
4. Disbandment of the CDF
The former prime minister also called for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to be scrapped, with its funds redirected to counties.
He argued that CDF had outlived its purpose under the 2010 Constitution and had done little to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.
“The only role this thing does is to subvert the role of the representative of the people and to deflect their attention from the duties presented to them by the constitution,” he said.
Raila emphasised that lawmakers should concentrate on making laws and providing oversight, not distributing bursaries or building classrooms and hospitals — responsibilities that already belong to county governments.
5. Roads to be managed by counties
Raila proposed that rural and urban roads be managed by county governments, leaving the national government to focus on international highways and trunk roads.
Drawing from his time as Roads minister, he recalled setting up authorities to manage roads on behalf of the central government, saying that made sense then but not under devolution.
“This is an idea that its time passed. With the devolved system of government, there is no need. Some roads in Kisumu city cannot be managed by the governor, because some agency sitting in Nairobi says they fall under its jurisdiction. Same to Eldoret, Mombasa, Nakuru and so on,” he said.
6. Full devolution of education
Raila also pressed for education to be fully devolved, including the management of primary and secondary schools.
He said the current arrangement had created confusion over responsibilities and allowed duplication of duties between county and national governments.
He recalled that during the 2010 constitutional negotiations, the Kenya National Union of Teachers resisted the devolution of education, resulting in only early childhood education being placed under counties.
This left the management of primary and secondary schools under the national government.
Raila said it was inefficient for the Cabinet Secretary for Education to travel across the country inspecting schools, a work he said should be done by the governor of those counties.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
