​The Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations today held a meeting with Vihiga County Governor Wilberforce Otichillo to scrutinize the governance, operations, and financial autonomy of the county’s municipalities.

This follows recent findings by the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee, which revealed that multiple municipalities across the country have been granted charters but remain un-operationalized due to a lack of autonomy from county executives.

​During the session, senators highlighted critical legal inconsistencies, low budget absorption, and an over-centralization of control by the Vihiga County Executive, warning that these structural gaps directly undermine urban service delivery.

​A primary concern raised by the committee was the legally defective framework used by the county to move functions to the Vihiga Municipality. While Sections 20 and 21 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act only provide for the delegation of authority, Vihiga County’s Cabinet Action Memorandum and subsequent Gazette Notice officially authorized a "transfer" of functions. 

Committee members cautioned that a transfer carries a heavy legal implication of permanent separation, whereas the law strictly dictates a principal-and-agent relationship where the municipality remains financially accountable to the county. 

"The contemplation is that the county government is delegated. Municipalities are part of the county government entities which are operating as quasi-autonomous. So, it was never about transfer," Vice Chairperson Senator Catherine Mumma, the sessional chairperson, said. 

​The committee further criticized the complete centralization of revenue collection, budgeting, and human resource management by the County Executive. 

Although the Vihiga Municipality Charter was established to foster urban autonomy, the county's official submissions conceded that revenue-raising functions have not been delegated, forcing the municipality to rely entirely on centralized county systems. 

"Revenue-raising and revenue collection functions have not been delegated to the Vihiga Municipality. These functions are undertaken centrally by the County Government of Vihiga through the Department of Finance and Economic Planning," Governor Otichillo said. 

​Lawmakers warned that withholding financial independence leaves urban boards completely incapacitated. 

"If the municipality is to operate, revenue collection is a key aspect. If they do not collect revenue, then I can imagine what that institution is looking like. Completely handcuffed," Senator Peris Tobiko stated.

​Governor Otichillo acknowledged these administrative hurdles to the committee, admitting that the central execution of budgets and the retention of revenue collection by the County Treasury remain the most significant sources of friction between his office and the municipal board.

​The committee directed the Vihiga County Executive to align its gazetted functions with the statutory provisions of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, implement objective funding criteria, and provide clear, uncontradictory breakdowns of municipal financial performance.