Wamuzi News Ke
Kenya at a standstill as senators report back that they have raised issues of devolution which they say is stalled, also brought to light are issues of what they describe as buried laws and a national government which is said to be in the process of taking back county functions.
In an unprecedented session which took place in Mombasa the Senate Committee on Devolution headed by Wajir Senator Sheikh Abbas Mohamed reported that Kenya’s devolution project is at risk of breakdown unless we see some urgent legislative changes. This is out of the ordinary, said Senator Abbas, he spoke with great intensity and without contradiction.
We are here to revitalize the spirit of devolution. Counties do not deliver basic services while made to go without funds, guidance, and legal support. The Senate reported that which the Interg governmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC) emergency session brought out serious issues with the system.
We are told of a very large scale problem of which at present there is a host of critical services which are in a state of no man’s land, also many of which over 94 national laws that are out of sync with the Constitution. The law did not give counties authority over air and noise pollution, outdoor advertising, and public nuisances. We expect a fix via a supplementary gazette notice.
To fill in these legal gaps the Senate is moving forward with an Omnibus Bill which may very well transform the system. The bill will put forth to harmonize at odds laws, pass over to counties control of personnel and resources and also deal with the issue of present turf wars. But what had reached a boil was when Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute went after the national government for what he saw as an attack on devolved agriculture which was the merger between the National Cereals and Produce Board and the Kenya National Trading Corporation.
If the intent was serious that should go to local governments. In the County governments’ arena the Senate did not pull any punches. Senator Abbas reported that in his region they are hiring based on kinship instead of merit. “We must put an end to this ‘Job Group R’ issue, he said. “Cousin and crony hiring is degrading service delivery and goes against the devolution spirit.
Fuel to the fire IGRTC has reported delays in transfer of over 400 public assets which are stuck in red tape. But we are to see a new agreement with the National Land Commission which is supposed to set the process in motion in June. At the same time we see that in school feeding, early childhood education and public transport issues there is chaos. County governments are operating within this void of formal legal structure which in turn causes worry over duplication, waste, and finger pointing. Such that which is put in place only does so if it is within a time bound contract that is what Kiragu warned of which also brought up the issue of quick formalization. Despite turmoil there was a glimmer of hope.
“We’re out of the bottom of that valley we were in 5 years ago” Kiragu reported. “Still we require full support from Parliament to put in place the right policies, laws and funding structures. The Senate will report back via visits to all counties which they will use to assess preparation for the new roles also they made a promise to stand by devolution with everything they have. Senator Abbas said the Constitution must be put into practice not subverted.
