The national government is wooing members of county assemblies as it shifts gears in an effort to tame the governors.
The
County Assembly Forum (CAF) is preparing to hold a meeting in Nairobi
where President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to announce goodies for the
more than 2,000 ward representatives.
The meeting,
whose date is yet to be determined, will follow a visit by the forum’s
executive committee members to State House last week.
“That
was a good-intentioned visit to thank the President for gracing our
retreat in Mombasa. As the executive committee of the CAF, we had been
mandated by our members in Mombasa to make a follow-up on his pledges of
a car grant and mortgage,” Bogichora County Ward Representative
Beauttah Omanga told the Sunday Nation.
The
meeting at State House last week preceded the governors’ forum, also
held in Mombasa, to which the national government gave a wide berth.
At
the State House meeting, President Uhuru Kenyatta and CAF executive
members are said to have negotiated for money to buy cars.
The
MCAs are demanding Sh2 million car grants which the President
reportedly warned was a massive allocation that could raise public anger
given that he has been seeking to slash salaries and allowances. The
President further informed the MCAs that the money had not been budgeted
for.
“The President told us he will consult the
Salaries and Remuneration Commission and inform us of the outcome at the
next meeting in Nairobi,” Mr Omanga said.
But the
President’s courting of the MCAs, while appearing to create a bridge
between the national government and the governors, has not gone done
well with the county bosses.
According to Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, the President’s meeting with MCAs is meant to undermine the county chiefs.
“There
are indicators that the national government is using MCAs to fight
governors so that we get pre-occupied with sideshows instead of
implementing devolution. One would wonder why the President would want
to meet the MCAs. It is in total disregard of the law,” Mr Ruto, the
chairman of the Council of Governors, said.
But Mr Omanga said MCAs were out to act in the best interest of the people rather than be used as pawns.
“We
are independent as MCAs. We will not be pocketed to do dirty work for
any one. Unlike our predecessors, the councillors, MCAs are not people
to be manipulated,” the Bogichora ward representative said.
President
Kenyatta wants to woo the MCAs who he believes have the power to tilt
the balance in an election and could even send the governors home. The
President is also said to be wary of a possible plan by the governors to
front one of their own to run against him in the 2017 General Election
and wants to trim their influence.
The accusations
come as governors said they will soon move to the Supreme Court to
compel the national government to respect the Constitution and devolve
all functions as outlined in the supreme law.
The governors have warned they will push for a national referendum to have more resources be devolved to the counties.
The
reaction comes after it emerged that State House had distanced itself
from the planning of the governors’ conference early last month.
In a correspondence between the Council of Governors and State House seen by Sunday Nation, the latter said it would not participate in the engagement.
“Regrettably,
we could not participate in the meeting of March, 4 because your letter
reached my office on March, 11, a week later. I will, however, inform
the President about the conference and in particular the proposal to
have him officially open it,” a letter from Chief of Staff and Head of
Public Service Joseph Kinyua reads. Instead, State House nominated two
senior officers to follow up on the conference.
“I have
nominated Hon Mohamed Abdikadir, Senior Advisor, Legislative and
Constitutional Affairs and Dr Mbui Wagacha, Economic Advisor, both in
the Executive Office of the President to, as necessary, follow up on the
conference,” part of the letter from Kinyua reads. The letter was
copied to Deputy President William Ruto.
Governor Ruto
accused both President Kenyatta and his deputy of plotting to kill
devolution. He said the governors had read mischief in the absence of
President Kenyatta at the opening of the conference and that he was not
committed to the event from the word go, the meeting with MCAs
notwithstanding.
Mr Ruto accused the DP of traversing
the country inciting the public to have total disregard of devolution.
He said there were even plans to throw him out as Council of Governors
chairman as a way of killing devolution and scuttling their efforts to
push for more resources.
“I will not be cowed into
silence; I will soldier on and will fight for the survival of devolution
tooth and nail,” Ruto told the Sunday Nation.
He noted that the President and his deputy are slowly but steadily using different avenues to confront governors.
“They are now using MCAs, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and
even the Auditor General to micro-manage counties,” said Mr Ruto. He
added the governors will call for a referendum to rally Kenyans to
making the national government devolve more funds to the counties.
“It
is sad that everywhere the Deputy President goes, he is busy talking
ill about governors and dismissing them for their incompetence when he
is supposed to oversee matters of the national government,” Ruto said.
According
to the governors, the recent performance by the Cabinet secretaries to
give their scorecards was a publicity gimmick to hoodwink the public
that the government it is working when in essence it is not.
“Why
did it have to come now? Their one year in office ends April 29. They
could have waited until then before trying to confuse the public at a
time when governors want to literally give their score cards,” he said.
He
dismissed contentions by President Kenyatta that over 32 per cent of
national resources have been devolved, saying that is a warped
calculation based on the 2010/11 revenues that doesn’t make sense.
President
Kenyatta accused governors of misusing resources on their recent
conference that came barely two weeks after the MCAs held a similar
meeting.
The governors are also reeling from the
shock of losing the privilege of flying small national flags on their
cars after the National Assembly passed a Bill they believe was
orchestrated by the national government.
–Reported by Walter Menya, Samwel Born Maina and Griffins Omwenga.
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