BONYO’S BONE: Nyamira County - A shame of the devolution

15 years ago, Kenya made a promise to herself. It promulgated a new Constitution to give it a fresh breath of life.

At the inner sanctum of this document, was a citation that was meant to unleash the unrealized potential of every corner of Kenya.

Devolution was never a mere word. It was a mission and a covenant with the people: that their destiny, their resources, and access to power closer shall no longer be tied to the centre but to their own grassroots.

But today, almost two decades later, Nyamira County stands out as an illustration of a cause betrayed. A disgrace to the spirit of devolution. An insult to the people of Nyamira and Kenya at large.

What is this buffoonery that has turned County 046 into a theatre of shame?

For seven months, Nyamira has been held hostage! By its own leaders who were elected to serve!

No county, no matter how divided, can operate like this. Nyamira County Assembly leaders, you cannot have your cake and eat it. There must be order. There must be respect for the Constitution.

The Constitution is not a suggestion, it is the supreme law of the land. It assigns roles. It demands accountability.

County Assemblies are not playgrounds for power-hungry elites. They are institutions of oversight, of service, of leadership.

As the Executive sides with one faction — and the Assembly tears itself apart with impeachment after impeachment, development has ground to a halt.

And shamefully, it has taken six long months for the Senate to wake up and intervene, only for their efforts to fall flat.

Must we now talk of dissolving a county, simply because of selfishness and arrogance?

Nyamira must remember this: devolution is not a license for disorder. And elective office is not private property. Counties must work for the people or they cease to have any legitimacy at all.