News Highlights (292)
Latest News Highlights
LEARNING IN ECDE CENTERS POST COVID-19: WHAT NOW?
Written by CoG web Admin
School children at Early Childhood Development and Education ECDE centres across the counties are in urgent need of face masks for safe learning. An assessment spearheaded by the Council of Governors COG in a number of counties, revealed an urgent need for over 1 million masks for the millions of learners at these centres. The assessment visits were held in Meru, Isiolo,Laikipia,Nyeri,Nakuru, Uasin Gishu,Elgeyo Marakwet,Trans Nzoia,Kisumu, Nyamira,Nandi,Kisii and Homabay Counties between 11th and 22nd January 2021.
This followed the reopening of the centres after 10 months of closure due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The suspension of learning in all educational institutions affected 18 million learners across the country, including 2.73 million early childhood learners and 135,550 trainees in County ECDE and Vocational Training Centres respectively.
The Ministry of Education directed the reopening of all learning institutions on January 4th 2021 under tight Covid 19 health and safety protocols. COG embarked on an assessment of the implementation of measures towards safe learning by respective County Governments. The visits sought to also establish compliance by the ECDE Centres to the Guidelines on Safe Reopening and Resumption of Learning. A data collection and assessment tool was employed in identifying best practices and local solutions towards the safe reopening of the Centres.
The visits were coordinated by the County Directors in charge of ECDE through the County Executive Committee Members CECMs in charge of Education. The assessment sampled two ECDE Centres per County. A total of 32 County Early Childhood Development & Education Centres in 12 Counties were assessed.
The data analysis revealed that 79.02% of the learners that had enrolled at the public ECDE centres in January 2020 resumed learning. This represents 1,407,674 learners out of 1,781,416 learners that had registered at the beginning of last year. Additionally, 28,887 Centres out of 29,130 County ECDE Centres across all 47 Counties representing 99.17% of all public ECDE Centres reopened for learning. Further, 74.2% of all learners in public ECDE Centres have reported to school with facemasks. This represents 1,321,810 learners enrolled in County ECDE Centres, however, 84% of all learners in public ECDE Centres need age-appropriate facemasks. This accounts for the need for 1,505,526 facemasks for learners in public ECDE Centres
Counties may now engage the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to track the children who have not resumed learning. Sensitization fora will be ideal in enlightening parents on the revised 2020/2021 academic calendar. Regular provision of clean running water across the counties remain a huge challenge hampering hand washing and sanitation. The centres also require the development and dissemination of child-friendly IEC materials. This can be achieved by building the capacity of ECDE teachers on the Competency Based Curriculum and developing a tracking matrix of all resource needs by the affected County ECDE Centres.
Chairman of the Council of Governors H.E Hon Wycliffe Oparanya has hailed the retired Chief Justice David Maraga for his boldness, and commitment to the rule of law. In a farewell luncheon organized by the Council, H.E Oparanya described Hon Maraga as a servant leader whose tenure saw the growth of jurisprudence. “Undeniably the era of His Lordship has made an unprecedented impact on the evolution of the Judiciary. He has worked tirelessly, compassionately, with humility to transform the Judiciary”, the COG chair remarked. He noted that Hon Maraga had restored faith and confidence in the Judicial system through his progressive style of leadership. The retired Chief Justice acknowledged the role Devolution has played in improving the Governance structures however cautioning the County bosses on the need to uphold integrity at all times. He urged them to ensure they fight to ensure equitable share of resources between the two levels of Government.
“At the national level, although the Legislature and the Judiciary play critical roles, the primary responsibility of implementing the Constitution rests with the Executive arm of government. It is mainly the Executive that has to formulate and execute appropriate implementing policies. At the County level, your Excellences are the heads of the County Executives. It is therefore your responsibility to formulate appropriate implementing policies to equitably share the county resources to all parts of the county,” he said.
The County Governments and the Judiciary have enjoyed strong partnership over the past 5 years. The Counties have experienced fair and independent judgment from the Judiciary. The Decision of the Supreme Court Advisory Reference No.3 of 2019 put to an end the perennial Standoffs during Division of Revenue between the two levels of Government.
The CoG Chairman described CJ Maraga’s tenure as a devolution friendly tenure that truly protected Devolution especially through the advisory. “In his words as quoted in the advisory, honorable David Maraga stated that, “As the Apex Court in this Country, it behoves us, nay, we are obligated by Article 259 of the Constitution, to have a global view of the problem giving rise to this reference and give the Country appropriate direction. To do otherwise would be a dereliction of our duty and obligation to the Kenyan people,” quoted Governor Oparanya.
Chief Justice Maraga retires as a hero and a champion of the people. A man that has been celebrated as a stickler for the rule of law. The President of Law society of Kenya Nelson Havi described it an honor for the retired CJ to receive praise while still alive.
In attendance were several Governors, CJ Maragas wife (Yucabeth), Deputy CJ Philomena Mwilu,Devolution CS Hon Eugene Wamalwa, Members of Parliament and Heads of Independent commissions among other leaders.
GOVERNORS ROOT FOR STRUCTURED DIALOGUE ON HEALTH STRIKE
Written by CoG web Admin
Governors are asking the Trade Unions representing healthcare workers, to engage respective County Governments to end persistent strikes. Addressing Managing Editors drawn from different media houses, the Governors said most of the grievances raised by the striking healthcare workers were county specific and would be resolved amicably through such an engagement.
Council of Governors, Chairman H.E Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya reiterated the need for negotiation devoid of hard-line positions citing dialogue as an instrumental tool in putting an end to the perennial strikes witnessed in the health sector. H.E Oparanya expressed regret that the health workers had downed their tools when the country is still grappling with the crisis occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This strike is illegal and a violation of the right to life and the right to access to healthcare as provided under Article 26 and 43 of the constitution”, he said, warning of a potential crisis for patients. He said Counties may be forced to hire new health workers if the strike persists.
The Chairman of the Human Resource Committee at the Council, H.E James Ongwae said the increase in allowances demanded by the health workers would require a huge budget allocation. He said Counties are currently constrained financially. He said any increase would require the approval of the salary and remuneration commission SRC and commitment by the National Treasury to provide the resources. He however noted that some of the demands by the striking workers were untenable.
Devolution of the health sector has seen improvement of salaries and allowances for various staff. Registered clinical officers in job Group H who are diploma holders earn a gross pay of Kshs.56, 130, nurses with a certificate earn Kshs. 49,370 at entry level. The figures have risen over the years and most now are at Kshs83,380 and Kshs.71,870 following the 2017 collective bargaining agreement. Doctors have also benefitted from trade union negotiations which has seen their gross pay increased to Kshs234,750 monthly. This excludes allowances. H.E Ongwae said currently health workers are the highest paid in comparison to Teachers, Economists and Engineers.
Health workers are demanding corona virus protective gear, better pay, medical insurance cover. A number of health workers have succumbed to COVID-19 prompting the agitation. The Governors were speaking at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Council of Governors for Managing Editors at a Nairobi Hotel. The Governors acknowledged the media as a key partner in the Devolution matrix, assuring to always share information to enable it disseminated to the public in a timely and factual manner.
STRENGTHENING DEVOLUTION: SOCIAL ECONOMIC RE-ENGENEERING RECOVERY STRATEGY
Written by CoG web Admin
The Council of Governors on Friday 4th December 2020 launched the County COVID19 Social Economic Reengineering and Recovery strategy. The event was graced by HE Uhuru Kenyatta, the Deputy President among other invited dignitaries. The 5 pillar strategy shall revive the economy of the County Governments from the harsh effects of the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Speaking during the event, Council of Governors Chairman expressed the optimism among County Governments to rekindle the economy by reawakening business that we forced to close due to COVID19. “We are optimistic that we shall revive a considerable number of businesses that have since collapsed during the pandemic,” said Council of Governors Chairman HE. Dr. Wycliffe Oparanya.
The 5 point strategy highlights the strategies that County Governments shall put in place to make their economies recover and thrive. These are, Boosting private sector activity; Policy, legislatives, and institutional reforms; Strengthening County Government’s preparedness and response to pandemics and disasters; Enhancing Information Communication Technology (ICT) capacity for business continuity; and Investing in human resource development. It will also be critical to institutionalize monitoring, evaluation, regular reporting and communication of the strategies up to grassroots level and across all communities and institutions in the counties
The Sh. 132b recovery plan will draw its financing from county budgets as well as development partners.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, who launched the County Covid 19 Reengineering and Recovery Strategy called upon all stakeholders to focus their collective efforts in implementing the strategy. He also emphasized on the need for transparency and accountability when handling finances saying that Kenyans are counting on the government to revive the economy.
The head of state also commissioned the 50 floor G47 Ugatuzi towers which is set to house all devolution activities under one roof. The tower will also hold a devolution museum, the first of its kind, which will portray the country’s devolution journey even in generations to come.
LAND, URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND PHYSICAL PLANNING CONSULTATIVE WORKSHOP
Written by CoG web Admin
The Council of Governors (GoG) in partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning (MoLPP) and the National Land Commission (NLC) are currently implementing European Union funded Land Programme ‘Support to the Attainment of Vision 2030 through Devolved Land Reforms in Community Lands of Kenya’.
The programme’s overall objective is to improve food and nutrition security through equitable and secure access and management of land for better livelihoods and socio-economic development in all counties as per Vision 2030. This objective is expected to be achieved through four outputs: improved land management and administration in the counties, promotion and establishment of participatory land use planning methodologies, improved policy and legal framework for land line with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries & Forests (VGGT) and strengthening the capacity of research institutions on land tenure and management issues.
The Lands, Urban Development, Housing, Spatial Planning, Energy and Infrastructure Committee at the Council of Governors is the committees that considers all matters relative to Land and spatial planning. In a consultative meeting between the committee and the land programme through the Food and Agricultural Organization, County Governments cited a raft of challenges in the land sector including limited awareness on land laws and their regulations especially community land act 2016, land act 2012 and the land registration act 2012, lack of proper intergovernmental cooperation between the two levels of government in land adjudication and tilting processes, poor management of agricultural land mainly due to carry over laws that provide legal framework for management of public land as well as low prioritization of spatial planning among others.
Although the land programme has made significant strides in addressing the said challenges in the beneficiary counties, there is need to have a unified approach amongst all the County Governments in order to effectively address the challenges. COG provides such an opportunity and platform of bringing together all stakeholders within the land sector in a bid to comprehensively address such issues of parampount importance.
It is against this background that COG in partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning (MoLHPP) and the National Land Commission (NLC) convened a consultative workshop from the 9th to 13th of November, 2020 at Kwale County bringing together CECMs in charge of land and spatial planning and the County Directors in charge of Physical and Land Use Planning.
The workshop deliberated various pertinent issues including land and natural resource governance, county physical and land use planning, community land, its recognition, protection and registration, technologies in planning and development control and legal and legislative frameworks governing the land sector.
The meeting adopted several resolutions that would contribute to the furtherance of the land programme. It resolved among others that; MoLPP in collaboration with NLC fast tracks the digitization of land records via the National Land Information System (NLIMS), County Governments to develop proper land use plans/spatial plans for their Counties to manage and control land fragmentation and subdivision by zoning areas for agriculture, County Governments to fast track the development of GIS based County Spatial Plans, All the 47 Counties to have substantive directors of physical and land use planning pursuant to the Physical and Land Use Planning Act 2019 and hire more physical and land use planners, Establishment of a fund for digitization of development control and establishment of functioning (GIS) labs in all the 47 County governments.
Further, the meeting assented that COG should organize a peer to peer learning for Counties including Governors on the use and application of GIS in Vihiga County and online development control system (E- Construction system) in Nairobi County, National and County Governments to strengthen implementation, enforcement & compliance of the relevant legal frameworks in the land sector, County Governments to domesticate and refine national laws by preparing subsequent laws at the County assemblies, Counties and other stakeholders to support, in a coordinated manner the registration of community land among others.
“As the Council of Governors, we have unanimously resolved to have our proposals incorporated, alongside those from the County Assemblies which will be shared with President Uhuru Kenyatta, Rt. Hon Raila Odinga and the secretariat of the Building Bridges Initiative for further consultation,” said H.E Wycliffe Oparanya, Chairman Council of Governors.
The Chairman’s sentiments comes as the County Governors conclude their two day consultations to discuss the BBI Draft at the Enashipai Spa and Resort in Naivasha. The meeting which also brought on board the Deputy Governors Forum and County Assemblies Forum Leadership was aimed at looking through the BBI draft and coming up with proposed amendments.
One key area of focus during the discussions was on Governance, the Council proposed that the Senate be strengthened by ensuring that it has veto powers on all bills, the position of Deputy Ministers to be introduced and they should be picked from parliament, The Summit, the National Council for County Legislatures, the Council of County Governors and Regional Economic Blocs be entrenched in the Constitution.
Resolutions set to mitigate the current upward surge of Covid-19 cases in Kenya
Written by CoG web Admin
Why are wananchi not adhering to covid-19 protocols? Why are the covid-19 numbers soaring even higher as days go by and why is there minimal behavior change among wananchi, if any? These are some of the questions that the virtual consultative meeting held by the Council of Governors and county directors of communication on 10th November, 2020 sort to answer. The meeting was convened to strategize on implementation of resolutions arising from the 6th extra ordinary virtual session of the National and County Governments’ coordinating summit. Speaking during the consultative meeting, the County Director of communications, Kilifi County Mr. Mark Agutu emphasized on the need to embrace a new approach in fighting the covid-19 pandemic. “While it is important for us to enhance the capacity of our health care system to manage the covid-19 cases, we also need to focus on how we can realize behavior change”.
The now famous slogan ‘Bila barakoa hakuna Huduma’ or ‘No mask, no service’ is at the heart of behavior change. However, without proper implementation, it will remain to be just a catchphrase. To achieve the desired results of the campaign, ‘no mask no service’ a number of strategies were put forward. The Council of Governors in collaboration with the County Governments is to develop a unified campaign message that will be disseminated through broadcast, print and new media all over the country. This message will be translated into Kenya’s vernacular languages so that it’s able to reach all citizens. Further, bulk SMS messages will be used to ensure those who lack access to any of the fore mentioned media will not be left behind.
County Governments and the COG will also partner with other institutions in the private sector including NGOs to aid in the civic education exercise. Such partnerships will provide a large pool of resources which will significantly boost the capacity of the County Governments to manage the covid-19 pandemic. Based on the current trajectory of the virus, it is evident that more needs to be done to make people fully cognizant of how fatal the disease is. As such, individuals including community elders, religious leaders and other opinion makers of the society will play a key role in the community sensitization exercise. The more they talk about and live out the ‘no mask no service’ campaign, the more effective the campaign message will be.
Mwananchi will not only be influenced to believe covid-19 is real but also actively participate in flattening the covid-19 curve. Once implemented, the sensitization campaign poses immense benefits. The campaign also calls for a multi-sectoral approach which will bring together players in various industries from civil society and governments to the private sector.
Lastly, communication needs to be at the center of all the programmes being rolled out at the county level, especially with regards to the management of human response to the pandemic. Currently, as part of the campaign communication representatives are being included in all conversations and committees’ on matters covid-19. By doing so, it will ensure that all communication across the 47 counties is targeted, relevant, coordinated and consistent. The campaign is not just a National and County Government initiative but also every citizens’ personal responsibility.
NYAMIRA PUBLIC PARTICIPATION LAW & POLICY
Written by CoG web Admin
In Kenya, public participation is one of the fundamental pillars of democracy. The Constitution of Kenya, 2010, makes it a cornerstone of Kenya’s system of governance, a right of citizens, and an integral national value under Article 10 of the Constitution. Article 174(c) of the Constitution states that the object of devolution is to “enhance the participation of people in the exercise of the powers of the State and in making decisions affecting them.” The Council of Governors (CoG) as the established under Section 19 of the Inter-governmental Relations Act, 2012 has the statutory mandate to facilitate capacity building for the 47 counties and has a lead role to play in initiating preventive or corrective action as the counties execute their functions to give effect to the Part 2 of the Forth Schedule to the constitution.
It is against this background that CoG held a three day workshop with the directorates of public participation and communication in Nyamira County whose objective was first to Sensitize the County on the draft policy on public participation and the model law on public participation and then help them improve their policy and draft Bill in order to enable them to introduce both to the legislative process in line with the Draft Kenya Public Participation Policy, 2018.
The two teams from the Council of Governors and the County reviewed the draft policy and came up with recommendations that would be incorporated in the policy. The Council also shared a schedule of events with the County Government to ensure that the policy and the draft Bill are passed by both the Executive and Assembly within this quarter. This will give room for proper citizen engagement in all development that is carried out in the County.
Finally, County Officers established that in order for the Public Participation Policy to be implemented successfully, and because of the good relationship between the departments of public participation and communication, there is also need for the communication policy to be finalized.
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE SCALE UP NECESSARY FOR ALL
Written by CoG web Admin
The Council of Governors (CoG), through its principal leadership, affirmed their approval of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) pilot programme, citing its invaluable impact in the counties. The CoG expressed their appreciation during the Health Sector Inter-Governmental Forum on UHC; a two-day event held at the Sarova Whitesands Resort in Mombasa County. The forum, which was organized by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the CoG, focused on reviewing the achievements of the UHC programme and charting a way forward. Under the theme, “Scale Up the UHC under the Big Four Agenda”, Council of Governors Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya urged the National Government to increase the funds allocated to the Universal Health Coverage programme and implement it in all counties, owing to the programme’s proven results as one of the success stories in the Big Four Agenda.
The Head of state outlined interventions including the establishment of a mandatory scheme for all Kenyans to be managed by NHIF and regulated by the Ministry of Health.
“Government will provide health insurance cover to initially one million households who are vulnerable and unable to meet even that low cost premium. The identification of these one million households by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the Counties is set to begin in a few days across the entire country,” the President announced. Before he launched the national biometric registration of needy households for UHC by NHIF.
The President said the delivery of UHC is a MUST and will adopt the essential health benefits package which will enable Kenyans to gain access to an essential set of health services at a much lower cost.
The package covers identified areas including outpatient and inpatient services, communicable and non-communicable disease management, maternity, dialysis, radiology, mental health, minor and major surgery, substance abuse rehabilitation, emergency services and cancer treatment among others.
President Kenyatta pointed out that the pilot phase led to an increase in the uptake of health services in the country by 1.6 million new hospital visits during the 12-month period.
The 11th Annual Mashujaa Day 2020 celebrations were held at the Gusii Stadium, Kisii County. Since Kenya’s independence, the celebrations were traditionally held at the Kenya Nyayo National Stadium, in Nairobi. However, in the last seven years, following the adoption of a fresh policy by H.E. the President Uhuru Kenyatta, the celebrations have been hosted on a rotation basis by different counties, with the aim of fostering national integration and cohesion. The positive effects of this directive to individual counties are indubitably evident. It was made apparent in the radiance that Kisii county exuded right from the vibrant stadium to all the infrastructural upgrades that catch your eye as soon as you set foot in the County. It is through this directive that counties are able to showcase their uniqueness and ultimately their rich diversity. It is also a great economic boost for the counties as it brings together local and international guests requring various county services. Such events are also held concurrently across the Counties and presided over by the respective County Governors. Kisii joins the band wagon of 6 other counties to host such celebrations namely: Narok, Nyeri, Nakuru, Kakamega, Machakos and Mombasa
The 25,000-seating capacity Gusii stadium was open to approximately 3000 guests as opposed to the thousands of Kenyans that would usually join the celebrations due to the current pandemic and restriction to mitigate the same. Anyone entering the facility was tasked to strictly adhere to the Covid-19 containment measures including wearing a mask, sanitizing, and also keeping physical distance. Among the dignitaries present were H. E President Uhuru Kenyatta, first Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Deputy President Dr. William Ruto, Honorable Raila Odinga, Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court, Cabinet secretaries, Excellency Governors led by the chairman H.E Wycliffe Oparanya, speaker of the National assembly, members of the diplomatic core among others.
In his remarks, the host Governor, H. E James Ongwae thanked the President for the chance to host the event saying it has opened up great opportunities for the county’. Further, he thanked the President for supporting the various projects in the county. “Your Excellency, just to mention a few projects, with your help, we have completed over 12 road projects, we have completely tarmacked the Gusii stadium which is now of International standards, the Kegati water projects is up and running and now generates 27m litres of water per day as opposed to the previous 6m litres. Complete upgrade of the energy system, establishment of the Central Bank money collection centre, creation of a passport centre and so much more are the strides we have taken with your Excellencies’ aid. Words can never suffice to express gratitude’’. He further urged the National Government to invest in soapstone mining which he said, is only found in Kisii County.
“Nationhood is a journey started by our forefathers but one that is yet to be completed’’, said the President while making his remarks. He celebrated the ancient and modern day heroes and heroines who have selflessly given themselves to bring the much needed change in our country. Those he honored include the Abagusii founding fathers who fought for Kenya’s independence, health workers who have been instrumental to the fight against covid-19, and young innovators whom he described as key drivers of the country’s development and law enforcers keeping the nation safe.
Deputy President Dr. William Ruto also recognized all the millions of ordinary Kenyans in villages, towns and cities who work with diligence, commitment, determination and integrity across various sectors of the economy.
In his remarks, the former prime Minister Honourable Raila Odinga lauded the president for the decision to have the National events celebrated in the counties. He also joined in celebrating the forefathers from the Kisii community who helped salvage the Nation from the hands of the colonialists.
As he concluded, the President urged citizens never to give up but rather audaciously pursue their dreams and be champions of positive change.
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GOVERNORS, SENATE AGREE ON POLICIES TO IMPROVE ON AGRICULTURE
Written by CoG web Admin
The Council of Governors (CoG) and the Senate Standing Committees on Agriculture, livestock and fisheries have resolved to review all policies in the Agriculture sector, in order to ensure conformity to the Constitution and enhance the sector’s productivity. This resolution was the result of a two-day consultative conference held in Mombasa County. In his opening remarks, the CoG Chairman, H.E. Governor Wycliffe Oparanya reiterated that Agriculture is devolved. "To realize this, we need policy and legislative reforms in the agriculture sector to spur growth in this sector. This is why as Governors we decided to have a sit down with both the National Assembly and the Senate Standing Committees on Agriculture, livestock and fisheries to discuss implementation of agriculture functions by the Counties. We also need to address the legal bottlenecks in the implementation of agriculture functions and how to address challenges affecting the agriculture sector at the County level", said Oparanya.
COG Agriculture Committee Chairman H.E Governor Muthomi Njuki emphasized the need for the CoG as well as the Standing Committees of both Houses to address the perennial issues that fall under implementation of agricultural functions in devolution, " As Counties, we had agreed that 10 percent of the annual budget at the County and National Governments should be allocated to the agriculture sector. Now our moral responsibility is to ensure that our issues are resolved in order to implement various regulations affecting the sector to minimize financial losses, increase production and income to farmers" said H.E Muthomi.
Speaking on behalf of the members of the Senate standing committee on Agriculture and Fisheries, Committee Chair Senator Njeru Ndwiga, agreed with the Governors that the Agriculture Sector is grappling with many challenges and both levels of government need to work together in order to root out stumbling blocks within the sector. “We have resolved to work together in order to tackle various obstacles that have plagued this sector especially when it comes to these so called ‘cartels’”, said Sen. Ndwiga.
The CoG and the leadership of the Senate standing committee on Agriculture and Fisheries agreed and approved 21 resolutions that are geared towards ensuring that policies are in tandem with the constitution.
The recommendations also seek to further strengthen the agriculture sector by ensuring that functions that are devolved are run and managed by county governments and that funds for the same functions are given to the devolved units though a read out joint communique.
‘’We are happy with the progress we have made so far in the implementation of the 2010 Constitution. In a record short period, we have 47 County Governments up and running and as we speak, this country has witnessed tremendous changes in terms of governance, involving people in decision making and devolving resources to marginalized communities”, marked the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Devolution and ASALs (CS) Hon Eugene Wamalwa during the Legal Awareness Week, 2020. Stakeholders at the event were in agreement that significant strides have been achieved in sectors that are devolved and the objects of devolution are being felt, albeit not without challenges.
Themed "Securing Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law: Reflection on 10 years of the Kenyan Constitution’’, this year’s event ran from 12th- 16th of October with the third day focusing on devolution. It is an annual fete organized by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) aimed at providing free legal aid and civic education to citizens.
The gains of devolution cannot be gainsaid. All over the country, there is very strong support for devolution. Begged with the question of whether or not rural Counties would ever match up to the standards of urban Counties like Nairobi, Ms. Rosemary Njaramba, the Head of the Legal Department at the Council of Governors in a rejoinder reassured the participants that overtime this will be possible since resources are now going to the grassroots. ‘’Look at Mandera County for instance; it experienced its first C- Section in 2014 after devolution became operational. Hospitals in the Counties are now able to do open heart and brain surgeries. We shall get there for sure.’’
The forum, however, noted that there have been drawbacks impeding the progress of devolution; the most notable one being corruption. Panelists agreed that corruption is a cancer that poses as one of the biggest threats to development. Sharing in the pertinent discussions, Mr. Theuri, the chairperson of the LSK Nairobi Branch marked that corruption is not just a problem in the Counties but rather, a common problem throughout the country. The other dominant challenge raised is the funding snag made apparent in the recent delay by the Senate to pass the third basis for sharing revenue. The National Government has also continued to hold on to some of the County Government functions.
To stem the corruption menace, the session recommended the institutionalization of constitutionalism, so that the many laws in place are actually utilized in fighting corruption. The session also recommended the need to strengthen the capacity of Members of the County Assembly in performing their oversight function. Further, leaders were called upon to have in them the political good will to fight corruption.
On funding, stakeholders taking part in the event were in concurrence that there was need for increased allocations to the County Governments but concurrently, Counties were urged to utilize resources prudently and strengthen generation of Own Source Revenue. To improve the enabling environment for devolution, the Council of Governors representative emphasized on the urgent need for the restructuring of Regional Development Authorities and parastatals that continue to perform County functions, thereby causing wastage of funds and duplication of roles.
The session also noted and appreciated the enhanced Intergovernmental relations between the two levels of government that have been witnessed during the COVID-19 period. It was reported that in the last seven (7) months, the National and County Government Coordinating Summit had held three (3) meetings.
Unanimously, the forum affirmed that indeed devolution is working and that if well implemented, is the cure for underdevelopment. A clarion call was made to all citizens to groom devolution in order for its objects to be fully achieved.
Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Ambesta oparanya on Thursday, 18th October, 2020 commissioned Isiolo Youth empowerment Centre.
Accompanied by Isiolo Governor Mohamed Kuti, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua, U.K Deputy High Commissioner for Kenya Julius Court, Kenya School of Government Director Professor Ludeki and Kenya Film Classification Board Chairman Dr.Ezekiel Mutua leaders visited Isiolo Stadium, the Modern Market before the launch of the Youth Empowerment Centre.
Hundreds of youths are set to benefit from the pioneer youth innovation centre in Kenya that has been established courtesy of Partnership between the County Government, Kenya School of Government and other development partners such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Department For International Development (DFID) and the Norwegian Embassy. Electronics giant Huawei will also provide internet connectivity for use at the centre.The Centre encompasses an ICT cyberspace with a computer lab where young people thinking about using the internet to eke a livelihood will receive training on mobile and computer applications, and will also provide a platform for youths interested in innovations, while those in the entertainment industry will also receive training in film making to enable them fully exploit their talents to earn a living.
Isiolo Governor Mohamed Kuti said that the centre will go a long way towards dealing with the challenge of unemployment among the youth, which has been identified as a major reason why many young people are lured into violent extremism and radicalization as well as other harmful practices such as drug and substance abuse.Governor Kuti made assurances that the recruitment exercise for beneficiaries will ensure a fair chance for both genders as well as people with disability, calling upon local youths to exercise patience as the innovation centre cannot handle all the interested youths at once. He said that the centre will only handle 50 youths at a go, with those completing their free courses paving the way for another group of fifty youths.
Also in attendance were Huawei Kenya CEO Mr. Adam Lane and CAS
COG - SENATE ICT COMMITTEE CONSULTATIVE MEETING
Written by CoG web Admin
The Council of Governors committee on Information and Technology on 29th September appeared before the Senate Standing committee on ICT for a consultative meeting on several issues in the ICT sector at the County Level.
Speaking during the virtual meeting, H.E Governor Ndiritu Muriithi – a member of the ICT committee told the senate of the important role that ICT has played in the Counties and especially during the COVID19 period. “ICT is a backbone for our day to day business and has helped us (County Governments) to continue offering services to the people despite the restrictions on gatherings and physical meetings due to the ongoing pandemic. It is because of ICT that we are able to meet here today,” said the Laikipia Governor.
Governor Ndiritu also reiterated the importance of data use for decision making in the Counties. However, data collected and available in the Counties today may sometimes not be very dependable for decision making due to the fact that Kenya National Bureau of Statistics is still a Nairobi based institution. In his remarks, he proposed that KNBS presence in the Counties needs to be improved and the data available need to be ICT based for easier interpretation and consumption.
Through the Ministry of ICT, the National Government has laid the National Optic Fibre Backbone (NOFBI) throughout the 47 Counties. The NOFBI project was aimed at ensuring connectivity in all the 47 counties of Kenya. The implementation of the project aims to ease communication across counties as well as improve government service delivery to the citizens. Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2009 and established a National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure with access points in most of the district headquarters and some border towns.
To this end, the NOFBI project has reached the 47 Counties, however, some Counties are still experiencing challenges with the project including connectivity and damaged infrastructure. The Senate Committee meeting was aimed at identifying the challenges faced by individual County Governments and design interventions that would ensure that the National backbone is put into good use. Further, through the meeting, the Council of Governors briefed Senator Gideon Moi who is also the chair of the Senate committee on the County ICT interventions during the COVID 19 period. County interventions during this period have ensured that the Counties Governments continue to run during the COVID19 period.
While making his submission on behalf of the Council of Governors, Governor Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o outlined the many interventions made by County Governments during the COVID 19 period as well as the gaps that need to be addressed. “As County Governments we moved fast to ensure that services were still being offered to residents. All County Governments have set up County hotline numbers for reporting and contact tracing of COVID patients. We are leveraging bulk SMS and social media as well as electronic media platforms to share critical information with the people,” Said the Kisumu County boss. “However, we still have a myriad of challenges that are making us not to fully depend on ICT based solutions in our day to day activities and running of County Governments.
These challenges include, lack of proper legislation, lack of capacity and training among staff among others,” added Governor Nyong’o. In his proposal to cure the existing gaps on ICT at the Counties, H.E Pro. Anyang’ Nyongo has proposed to the Senate Committee the consideration to devolve the ICT Authority that will ensure availability of relevant ICT skills and personnel in every County. This will boost the County skill set and development of ICT solutions that can be used in revenue collection, data collection and management as well as capacity building on ICT at the County level.
The Senate Standing committee is expected to communicate to the Council of Governors on the way forward, complete with an intervention work plan in a week’s time.