President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) with opposition leader Raila Odinga. FILE PHOTO | NMG
There is optimism that this time around devolution may deliver intended outputs.
This
is mainly explained by an improved working atmosphere between the
national and county governments with an apparent alignment of
socio-economic development objectives between the two levels of
governments.
The first term of devolution was
characterized by obvious political conflicts between the two levels of
government prompted mainly by misunderstood roles, and misplaced
competition for control and power. Partisan politics were also a notable
block to consensus on development agenda.
Further,
wasteful tensions existed between county executives and assemblies. As a
result, opportunities were missed and critical public resources wasted
resulting in limited services delivery.
The recent “peace and unity” handshake between President Uhuru
and Raila Odinga appears to have provided essential “political
lubrication” which will hopefully reduce wasteful political intrigues
and allow for effective coordination between the two levels of
government and across the entire country.
For both
levels of government, the target outputs must translate in improved
quality of Kenyan lives measured by enhanced employment opportunities;
improved household incomes; better access to healthcare; suitable and
affordable housing; and freedom from hunger.
All these
are amply contained in the “Big Four” agenda whose opportunities are
essentially domiciled in the counties where most of the action will
happen.
A critical success factor therefore is that
the Cabinet Secretaries (CSs) are visibly seen in the field working hand
in hand with the county governments, under the principle of shared
goals.
In respect of healthcare, there are already
good signs that the national and county governments are reading from the
same script. A flurry of health services capacity building activities
is evident as specific programmes are rolled out.
This
is a good start that now needs persistent follow-through to ensure
quality healthcare and sustainability. Indeed, healthcare looks like the
one key item that will define the second term achievements for both the
national and county governments.
Agriculture is the
other common denominator opportunity with the highest potential to
deliver multiple socio-economic outputs for the Big Four agenda. These
include food security, employment, household incomes, and
agro-manufacturing. This is why agriculture should be receiving the
highest possible level of attention, visibility and resources at the
national and county levels.
Each county has its unique
socio-economic opportunities and corresponding challenges. It is
therefore for each county government to creatively and realistically
prioritize the opportunities that have the most impact on county
populations. Where possible these can be aligned with the ongoing “Big
Four” national programs.
The smart and forward-looking
counties will also leverage and capture additional development funding
from private investors, NGOs, and indeed from global multilateral
partners. It is this avenue of funding that will push incremental
development in the counties.
However,
to attract the external cash, the counties will need to prepare
appropriate development plans on which such funding can find space. In
the case of NGO and donor money, counties will need to have in place
transparent financial managements systems which are always a condition.
In
the case of the two city counties of Nairobi and Mombasa, there are
special development and services expectations that go beyond the Big
Four agenda.
This is because these are international
gateway, conference and business cities that contribute to the wider
national economy, a fact which I doubt is sufficiently reflected in the
budgetary allocations from the Treasury.
There is a
need to ensure that, as quickly as possible; the two cities provide
services that reflect global standards and expectations.
In
this respect, the two cities should be seen to be working together with
relevant ministries who may have the expertise and resources to
effectively deliver on projects and programs. The end result should be
cities that are smart in every aspect, and where traffic always flows.
Finally,
it is hoped that the counties have sufficiently learned from numerous
pitfalls and excesses during the first term of devolution. Specifically,
development projects will require to be protected from skewed recurrent
spending.
Yes, devolution is still very much work in
progress, but I believe it is gaining good momentum which requires
effective nurturing.
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