Incoming governors ought to aim higher
By PD columnist, August 26, 2022After months of campaigns, the dust has now settled and the country must get back to business.
The swearing-in of governors-elect yesterday ushered in a new era since the adoption of the devolved system of government in the country in 2013. Counties have since become the engines of development at the grassroots.
The aim of devolution as provided for in Articles 174 and 175 of the Constitution is the promotion of democracy and accountability in the exercise of power, fostering national unity by recognising diversity, enhancing people’s self-governance, enabling communities to manage their own affairs, protecting and promoting interests and rights of minorities and ensuring equitable sharing of resources.
Translating these aspirations into a daily reality is the task that awaits the new governors who have assumed office at a time when Kenyans face numerous challenges; from high prices of essential goods, and insecurity in some parts of the country to poor service delivery by devolved governments.
Granted, the full implementation of devolution has not been smooth due to various challenges experienced since its onset. Several dockets, such as agriculture and health are some of the areas that counties, through the Council of Governors (CoG) and the national government need to urgently discuss to improve service delivery to the people.
Disagreements between the national and county governments over funding, poor or no consultation on matters that affect counties, insufficient allocations and delayed disbursements of funds to counties posed threats to the survival of devolution. These need to be addressed and resolved amicably in the new dispensation.
Past efforts by previous office holders to address some of these challenges were undermined by the poor working relationship between the two levels of government.
The new faces must, therefore, take up this daunting task and seek to improve by reaching out to the Executive as well as Parliament to achieve their goals for the public good. Hopefully, through mutual understanding by all the key players, friction will be a thing of the past.
Most counties are grappling with poor health services, an overflowing and ageing workforce, poor infrastructure and high pending bills that need to be tackled as soon as possible.
It is the wish of every Kenyan, that in the next five years, the new county chiefs will not succumb to the temptations of corruption and use of public funds on unnecessary projects and travels like some of their predecessors.
They must also avoid unnecessary fights with their MCAs, which only bog down on service delivery to the public.