Devolution Bill Withdrawn Again, Stalling Power Shift

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi informed Parliament that the long-delayed Devolution Bill had been withdrawn for further “polishing,” the Daily News reported. The move dashes hopes for the swift transfer of power and resources to local authorities, a key demand of the 2013 constitution that remains unimplemented. The withdrawal has sparked frustration among provincial leaders and civil society, who argue that central government is deliberately stalling devolution to retain control over budgets and decision-making. The bill has been pending for years, with repeated promises of enactment never materializing, eroding trust in the reform process and fuelling accusations of bad faith. The core vulnerability is the ruling party’s fear that genuine devolution would weaken its patronage networks and create alternative power centres beyond its grip.