The Council of Governors (CoG) in Kenya has threatened to shut down county operations in two weeks, demanding the immediate release of sh78.03 billion and the restoration of sh38.4 billion, which has been diverted from county allocations.
During a press briefing on Friday, March 22, 2025, the governor accused the national government of plotting to divert Ksh38.4 billion in additional allocations, including sh24 billion in donor-funded conditional grants.
“The Council of Governors demands the immediate restoration of all the diverted funds to county governments to ensure uninterrupted service delivery, failure to which county governments will shut down its services in the next 14 days” the CoG Deputy Chairperson Mutahi Kahiga said.
“The blatant act is yet another attempt to systematically cripple service delivery across the 47 county governments and affront the devolution agenda as enshrined in the constitution of Kenya” he added.
The governors therefore cautioned that the budgets would severely impact key county projects, including healthcare, agriculture, fisheries, water supply, and slum upgrading.
“It’s becoming increasingly apparent that these systematic budgetary cuts are designed to cripple county governments, hinder effective service delivery and ultimately discredit and kill the devolved system of governance” he further stated.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru also urged the government to release the funds expressing concerns at the continuous clawing back of not just the devolved functions but also the resources that have been planned over years by development partners.
