Kisumu Governor Professor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o has strongly opposed a proposal by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ to reduce the number of counties in Kenya from 47 to 13. In a statement released on April 23, Nyong’o warned that such a drastic move would undermine the very principles on which devolution was founded.
Senator Kajwang’, speaking at a public gathering in Homa Bay, had argued that the current county structure is unsustainable and financially burdensome. He suggested that consolidating the counties to just 13 would enhance efficiency and improve service delivery.
However, Nyong’o dismissed the proposal as overly simplistic and rooted in a narrow, numbers-driven view of governance. “This is a knee-jerk reaction of an accountant mesmerised by the game of easy calculation of figures,” he said. Nyong’o, a former senator who actively participated in early devolution debates, emphasized that the 47-county structure was the result of broad historical and constitutional consensus.
The Kisumu governor urged Senator Kajwang’ to approach the issue with greater depth and engage in a more inclusive national conversation. “I suggest that Kajwang’ call for a serious discussion involving diverse representatives from different schools of thought,” Nyong’o advised, calling for a sober analysis of both the successes and shortcomings of devolution before contemplating structural changes.
While acknowledging Kajwang’s right to question the effectiveness of the current system, Nyong’o insisted that any conversation about reform must be rooted in a commitment to strengthening not dismantling devolved governance. “Let us evaluate it, establish what has been achieved, and identify what we could have accomplished after acknowledging some of the shortcomings we might have overlooked,” he said.
Kajwang’s remarks have sparked mixed reactions among leaders and governance experts. While some view the proposal as a bold step toward fiscal prudence, others see it as a threat to inclusivity and local development.
As debate around the future of devolution intensifies, Nyong’o’s defense of the 47-county model highlights the delicate balance between efficiency and representation in Kenya’s governance landscape.
