Baba has been right on many things, but his recent softening on protecting devolution was unusual and unexpected.
When he called for more functions to be assigned to Governors, including devolving basic education, many thought it was a bold idea. But the question remains: have Governors done so well with the powers they already hold that they deserve additional responsibilities?
The truth is that they have not. Counties are still struggling with basic health care, stalled projects, mismanagement of funds, and constant fights with the Senate over accountability. Asking for more functions at this stage is like rewarding failure.
What was even more worrying was Baba’s call for the Senate to stop summoning Governors. That was underwhelming, almost disappointing. The Senate is the only institution that truly keeps Governors awake at night. It is the only arena where they must answer difficult questions about budgets, stalled projects, and misuse of funds.
They must be summoned often, because summons are not for ordinary workers who report to their bosses every day. Summons are for suspects, for thieves, and for leaders whose decisions must be scrutinized in the interest of the public.
Baba is often shielded from criticism. He is treated as if he is always right, and when in doubt, many retreat to the first rule which says that he is right. But not on this one. Calling for more functions while lowering the guard on accountability is a contradiction. It is dangerous.
A responsible National Assembly should go even further. It should summon the head of the Executive, the President himself, to appear in Parliament for questioning. This is not a waste of time.
It is a safeguard against the creation of forty eight little kings, each behaving as if he owns a kingdom. In established democracies across Europe, heads of government appear before Parliament regularly.
They answer questions, clarify policies, and are even sanctioned when necessary. Why should our leaders, from President to Governor, act like monarchs above scrutiny? The slightest suspicion that they may behave like kings must be met with resistance.
It must also become easier to recall Members of Parliament and other elected leaders. Even the President should be made to account directly before Parliament. Any design that simplifies the removal of elected leaders is necessary to keep them humble and focused on service.
It deters theft, corruption, and arrogance. Any attempt to make it harder to recall or impeach leaders is not about stability, it is about preparing to steal.
Those who are pushing this agenda claim it is about protecting democracy. But how many impeachments have ever caused a crisis in Kenya? None. More than ninety eight percent of leaders remain in office comfortably. Making it harder to remove them is not about leadership security. It is about shielding impunity.
That is why it is disturbing to hear calls to weaken accountability coming from Nyanza, a region that has always stood as the vanguard of good governance. It is sad to see Members of Parliament from that region join in the push to lower the guard instead of raising it higher.
Parliament can quarrel all it wants, but Senators must now deal a fatal blow to the National Government Constituencies Development Fund. NG CDF has outlived its purpose.
It is unconstitutional, it undermines devolution, and it allows Members of Parliament to act as implementers of projects they are supposed to oversee. Those funds must be relocated to Counties, where development truly belongs. Any attempt to amend the Constitution to entrench NG CDF must be rejected.
Baba must be told the truth, even when it is uncomfortable. Leaders must be challenged even when the political culture says they are always right. On this one, he is not.
