DEVOLUTION IN KENYA IS GOD SEND

DEVOLUTION IN KENYA IS GOD SEND

By Chris Ojow

Call by elected leaders and across section of the voters in Kenya for a review of the laws through enactment or referendum to protect the County Governments, is speedily gaining momentum.

Others are of the view that the County Governments spends a lot of Public funds in salaries and strategic meetings/seminars in hotels, unnecessary overseas trips leaving no money for developments in their county’s.

Complaint of bloated workforce in County’s is also an issue where a call to reduce the number of executives and County staff is also in the pipeline and Building Bridges initiatives (BBI) must address such issues to enable resources and services reach the people.

The Chairman Council of Governors in Kenya Wickliffe Oparanya, has notified the Appeal Court through their officers of the Court, that they will move to the Highest Court in the land, the Supreme Court of Kenya for interpretation of the Lady Justice Mumbi Ngugi step aside landmark ruling.

Where three elected Governors Charged with Corruption related cases in Kenya, has been barred as a bond condition by the Anti Corruption trial Courts, to stay away from County Offices and from discharging their duties until they are cleared from their alleged corruption offences.

Samburu County Governor Moses, Mike Sonko, Nairobi County and Ferdinand Waititu, Kiambu County has no option but to wait to be cleared until their alleged corruption cases are heard and determined not forgetting the wheels of justice in Kenya grinds like a snail pace .

School of thoughts are of the opinion, that the elected leaders instead of wasting their precious time, spending public resources in an effort to save their jobs, instead pretending to save their accused colleagues, they should push, fight and Advocate through applications for the speedy trial, which is very possible and the most easiest way to prove their innocence.

As Nandi County Senator plans to table a bill before the house, seeking to prevent elected leaders from being prosecuted while in office, the mover of the bill want elected leaders be Prosecuted once they leave office.

The same way the president of the Republic of Kenya and his Deputy can not be Prosecuted while still discharging their duties, but the Constitution is silent whether the Deputy President can be charged, Deputy Speaker Second arm or the third arm of the Government, the Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Kenya.

The 2010 new Constitution of Kenya in Articles 181,182, 190 and 191 is silent on the functions of the Deputy Governor, the removal of the Governor, where again in article 181 clause 2 states that the National Assembly shall enact legislation providing for the removal of the Governor and in 190 the Parliament has the power to give directions when the services in the County stalled in the absence of the County chiefs .

The National Government should not be seen or be involved in the running or interferences with the management of the County’s affairs, but should offer maximum support to enable County’s function superbly by offering services to it’s people in the grassroots.

The 15% revenue allocations to the County’s needs top up for services like Health, Agriculture and infrastructure to be the main focuses.

Failure to review the workforce in all 47 County Governments and the National Government, the ballooning highest wage bill in the Country might turn out to be unsolvable crisis in the entire Country.