Kenya promulgated its current constitution in 2010. Chapter 11 of the document clearly outlines the founding framework of the county system of governance. There are now forty seven (47) counties. Each county is overseen by leaders voted in by duly registered voters in the county. A county is cumulatively governed by a Governor, the Members of County Assembly (MCAs), Member(s) of Parliament (MPs), a Women Representative and a Senator. In this new system of governance, governors serve as 'minuscule presidents' and are the Chief Executive Officers(CEOs) of the county. All the Governors form the Council of Governors and converge annually for Devolution Conference to evaluate their strides towards devolution. The politically elected members of the County Assembly, the Governor and the MCAs are the point of focus in this article.
This system of governance is indeed an opportunity for redress of the marginalization faced by inhabitants of the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASALs) in Kenya. Devolution as envisioned by the Kenya Constitution 2010 serves to enhance equity among Kenyans. The National government budgets a percentage of the country's revenue for allocation to the county governments through a predetermined formula. The county government redistributes this funding based on its priority areas for development.The first batch of the county governments leadership has achieved commendable milestones. These leaders have managed to steer devolution towards enhancing equity in sharing of the national resources. Moreover, counties have realized improved access to education, health services and infrastructural improvements.
This system of governance is indeed an opportunity for redress of the marginalization faced by inhabitants of the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASALs) in Kenya. Devolution as envisioned by the Kenya Constitution 2010 serves to enhance equity among Kenyans. The National government budgets a percentage of the country's revenue for allocation to the county governments through a predetermined formula. The county government redistributes this funding based on its priority areas for development.The first batch of the county governments leadership has achieved commendable milestones. These leaders have managed to steer devolution towards enhancing equity in sharing of the national resources. Moreover, counties have realized improved access to education, health services and infrastructural improvements.
However, it is disheartening to observe rampant corruption in the counties. I will delve on this issue and the importance of a prudent choice of county leaders.
Corruption, this heinous crime perpetuated by the very leaders who are entrusted with county resources certainly cripples devolution - the very foundation of the county system of governance. It is critical that regular independent audits be conducted and each individual found culpable be prosecuted as provided for by the law. It is time the Central govt declares corruption a capital crime! Financial in-appropriation is unacceptable especially for a developing nation burdened with external debts, impacts of climate change, illiteracy and health problems associated with fatal yet curable infectious diseases such as Malaria and Tuberculosis.
Despite, being the agents to spur the county's development agendas with the support of fellow Kenyans, these political leaders jeopardize this important mandate. Is the law very permissive on the eligibility to run for these elective seats to the extent that egocentric persons manage to masquerade as leaders and are voted in? Do not misunderstand this to imply that county leadership positions should be a negotiated democracy as fronted by clans in some parts of Kenya! In my opinion, individuals seeking for positions such as that of the Governor ought to undergo more stringent vetting prior to being presented for the ballot. Counties need a leader with adept and strategic management skills. There is a dire need for persons competent in financial management/stewardship. A pragmatic leader with strategic reasoning in the sense that he/she should be capable of anticipating, planning and budgeting for such eventuality that might derail or threaten achievement of devolution. For this purpose, the gubernatorial position should be regarded, to a large extent, as a technical position rather than solely being based on political popularity or rather sycophancy.
County governments ought to agitate for increased exploration and exploitation of natural resources within their jurisdiction. Should county government negotiate for increased allocation of revenues from the Central government or nurture financial autonomy? Well, to envision for autonomy or rather continual reduction in revenue allocation from the exchequer might seem far fetched, however, the apex of devolution is to realize improved livelihoods for the citizenry.Corruption, this heinous crime perpetuated by the very leaders who are entrusted with county resources certainly cripples devolution - the very foundation of the county system of governance. It is critical that regular independent audits be conducted and each individual found culpable be prosecuted as provided for by the law. It is time the Central govt declares corruption a capital crime! Financial in-appropriation is unacceptable especially for a developing nation burdened with external debts, impacts of climate change, illiteracy and health problems associated with fatal yet curable infectious diseases such as Malaria and Tuberculosis.
Despite, being the agents to spur the county's development agendas with the support of fellow Kenyans, these political leaders jeopardize this important mandate. Is the law very permissive on the eligibility to run for these elective seats to the extent that egocentric persons manage to masquerade as leaders and are voted in? Do not misunderstand this to imply that county leadership positions should be a negotiated democracy as fronted by clans in some parts of Kenya! In my opinion, individuals seeking for positions such as that of the Governor ought to undergo more stringent vetting prior to being presented for the ballot. Counties need a leader with adept and strategic management skills. There is a dire need for persons competent in financial management/stewardship. A pragmatic leader with strategic reasoning in the sense that he/she should be capable of anticipating, planning and budgeting for such eventuality that might derail or threaten achievement of devolution. For this purpose, the gubernatorial position should be regarded, to a large extent, as a technical position rather than solely being based on political popularity or rather sycophancy.
In summary, the birth of devolution still faces a complex interplay of teething challenges associated with the previous centralized form of governance. Due to the increased number of employees, there is need to reduce benefits attributed to the elective positions. Subsequently, this will reduce the number of persons vying for such positions but driven by monetary gains. Raising the bar on academic competence of the aspirants for the elective positions will presumably elevate the performance standards of incoming batch of county leaders. The county government accounts should also be subjected to regular financial audits as well as employee job evaluation and appraisals.
No comments:
Post a Comment