NAIROBI, Kenya — Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has warned Embakasi East MP Babu Owino that winning the Nairobi governorship in 2027 would do little to fix the challenges facing county governments if the national government continues to interfere with devolved functions, accusing President William Ruto of being the biggest threat to devolution in Kenya.
Speaking at the Linda Mwananchi rally at Jacaranda Grounds on Sunday, Sifuna said his four years in the Senate had convinced him that the national government remained the principal obstacle to fully implementing devolution.
“Mheshimiwa Babu amesema anataka kuwa Gavana. Nimekaa Senate miaka minne na nimegundua ya kwamba adui mkubwa wa ugatuzi Kenya hii ni Mheshimiwa William Samoei Ruto. Babu, utapata taabu sana hata ukiwa gavana na ukiwa na rais ambaye anataka kumaliza ugatuzi” — telling Owino, who has declared his ambition to become governor, that he would struggle in the role as long as the President worked to undermine devolution, Sifuna said.
Sifuna faults Ruto over county funding pledge
The senator also criticised the President over county government funding, accusing him of failing to honour a commitment reportedly made while ODM leader Raila Odinga was still alive to raise the equitable share of revenue allocated to counties. Sifuna said leaders had agreed in writing that counties would receive Sh450 billion.
“Kifikia leo Ruto hajafuata ahadi ambayo alipewa na Raila, ndio maana mimi siwezi muunga mkono,” Sifuna said — arguing that the President’s failure to honour that commitment was reason enough for him to withhold his support.
For the 2026/27 financial year, Parliament approved Sh428 billion as the equitable share to counties, following negotiations between the Senate and the National Assembly.
That figure sits above the constitutional minimum of 15 percent of nationally raised revenue, though it falls short of the Sh450 billion figure Sifuna says was previously committed to.
Babu Owino’s Nairobi ambitions
Sifuna’s remarks were a direct response to Owino’s stated intention to contest the Nairobi governorship in the 2027 General Election.
The Embakasi East MP has repeatedly criticised incumbent Governor Johnson Sakaja over service delivery in the capital and has positioned himself as a leading challenger for the seat.
Sifuna told Owino that securing the governorship alone would not resolve the structural challenges facing Nairobi and other counties if the national government continued to delay disbursements or encroach on functions the constitution assigns to devolved units.
Part of a wider opposition tour
Sunday’s rally was part of the Linda Mwananchi tour, a series of opposition rallies that has in recent weeks travelled through Mt Kenya and other regions, drawing figures including Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi and Siaya Governor James Orengo, with the tour set to conclude in Nairobi this month.
Sifuna has been among those leading calls for greater cooperation among opposition leaders ahead of the 2027 election.
Devolution’s unresolved tensions
Devolution was established under the 2010 Constitution, creating 47 county governments with responsibility for functions including healthcare, local roads, markets and other essential services.
Since its implementation in 2013, county governments have received trillions of shillings in transfers from the national government to fund devolved functions and development projects.
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The Senate plays a constitutional role in protecting county interests and determining how nationally raised revenue is shared among counties, while county assemblies are tasked with oversight of their respective county governments.
Even so, disputes over delayed disbursements, unpaid pending bills, and disagreements over the transfer of specific functions between national and county government have remained persistent features of the devolution debate.
Sifuna said the strength of county governments ultimately depended on the national government respecting the constitutional framework and ensuring counties receive both the funds and the functions required to serve residents effectively.
His remarks came as political mobilisation intensifies ahead of the 2027 General Election, with the future of Nairobi’s governorship and the broader question of devolution’s implementation emerging as central themes in the contest.
