Devolution in Kenya Four Years On: A Review of Implementation and Effects in Mandera County

Instituted in 2013, devolution in Kenya seeks to bring government closer to the people by devolving political and economic resources to Kenya’s forty-seven county governments. Devolution’s stated aim is to better address the local needs of Kenyans. This article attempts to gauge the extent to which devolution has been implemented at the county/local level by comparing expectations and reality, highlighting successes and locating current challenges. It uses Mandera County as a case study. This article argues that Mandera County ought to have experienced significant economic development because of the accrual of substantial funds and political power since devolution was instituted. However, our findings indicate that graft, corruption, and misallocation of political and economic resources have largely conspired to stunt Mandera County’s ability to take advantage of the stated aims of devolution. The results are valid and generalizable, in some cases, for Kenya’s other counties.