Moi urges sobriety in running counties

PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA Deputy President William Ruto (left) and retired President Daniel Moi during the burial of Ezekiel Barng’etuny at his home in Lelkotet village in Nandi County on January 4, 2013.  NATION

In Summary

• Senate working on Bill to reduce recurrent budget expenditure to 40 pc of budget, says Murkomen
• Former President Daniel Moi said the county governments, if not properly managed, could plunge the country into more chaos and turn it into a tribal enclave.

By MAZERA NDURYA
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By TOM MATOKE
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Former President Daniel Moi has urged caution in the implementation of devolution and warned that it will be a recipe for nepotism and tribalism if unchecked.

He said the county governments, if not properly managed, could plunge the country into more chaos and turn it into a tribal enclave.

“If we start complaining that our people have not been given positions in government, we are creating a situation the counties will only be employing people from their communities, locking out those from other tribes. This is a recipe for chaos and entrenching tribalism when what we want as a country is to build a cohesive society,” said Mr Moi.




He was speaking at the burial of renowned politician Ezekiel Barnge’tuny in Lelkotet village, Nandi County, Saturday.

But Deputy President William Ruto steered cleared of the devolution issue and instead called for an end to political bickering among leaders.

He paid glowing tribute to Mr Moi, saying the former President had set the foundation for peace and development.

“Moi is my political mentor and as Jubilee leaders we will continue expanding projects such as the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to serve more people in the region. We have already set aside 250 acres of land for that purpose,” he said.

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW

Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli said that unless the Constitution was reviewed, the implementation of devolution would plunge the country into a deep financial crisis.

“This country will be worse off economically in the next three years and possibly become a net dependent on donor aid if we do not look at devolution afresh so that not every cent is used at the expense of other development programmes,” said Mr Atwoli.

The Cotu boss said Kenya would be heavily strained because the economy would not be able to support the country. He claimed that it had become costly to run the 47 county governments because corruption had been devolved, and nearly all funds were going to pay salaries. 

Former Nominated MP Mark Too said that when they rejected the Constitution during the referendum, they had seen the dangers of devolution “which has now become too expensive to implement.”

But Mr Moi, while supporting the appointment of retired civil servants to parastatal boards, cautioned against the trend where a cross section of leaders have been calling for the employment of their clansmen. He argued that any Kenyan can serve anywhere so long as they have the necessary skills and experience.

TRANSITION

Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, however, differed with calls to review the Constitution, arguing that the transition period had not lapsed and people should wait as devolution takes root

.

“It’s true that there are some challenges because this is a new system in the country, but these issues such as tribalism can be addressed without necessarily amending the Constitution.

“As the Senate, we are already working on policies that will create economic blocs so that resources can be harnessed to grow the economies of the counties to create wealth and employment for the youths,” he said.