Most county governments in Kenya continue to put a large part of their money into salaries and benefits for workers.
This leaves less cash available for building roads, improving health centres, fixing schools, or providing other basic services that people need every day.
The law sets a clear limit on how much counties should spend on wages. Yet many of them go beyond that limit year after year. When salaries take up more than the recommended share of revenue, the money that should go to development projects shrinks.
As a result, ordinary citizens often see slow progress on the things that matter most to them.
This pattern creates a difficult cycle. With less money for development, counties struggle to raise their own revenue through local sources.
They then rely more heavily on money sent from the National Treasury. That dependence can reduce the freedom counties have to plan according to their own needs and priorities.
Wage pressure does not disappear on its own. Staff numbers grow, allowances increase, and negotiations for better pay continue.
Without careful control, these costs keep rising and push development spending further down the list. Over time this weakens the ability of county governments to deliver visible results and to stand on their own financially.
The problem is not new, but it remains serious. County leaders face the hard task of balancing the need to pay workers fairly with the duty to invest in long-term growth. Finding that balance is essential if counties are to reduce their reliance on national transfers and start funding more of their own projects.
Simple steps can help. Counties need to review staffing levels carefully, control new hires, and make sure every shilling spent on salaries is justified. They also need stronger systems to track how money is used so that development projects receive the share they deserve.
Transparent reporting and open discussion with the public can build trust and support for these changes.
If the current trend continues, the gap between what counties promise and what they deliver will only widen. Development plans will stay on paper while wage bills keep growing. That outcome serves neither workers nor the people who depend on better services.
The choice is clear. County governments must act now to bring salary spending back within legal limits. Doing so will free resources for the projects that improve daily life and reduce the heavy dependence on money from Nairobi.
Only then can counties move closer to the self-reliance that devolution was meant to achieve.
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