Two meetings called as anxiety grips MPs over devolution

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The chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee Abdikadir Mohammed. CIOC has recruited recruited legal and constitutional experts to explain to the MPs what to expect when the new system is rolled out in the country’s 47 counties June 20, 2012. FILE 

By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU ashiundu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, June 20  2012 at  22:30

Anxiety over devolution has gripped Kenya’s Parliament with two House committees bringing together the 222 MPs to a meeting in Nairobi to discuss how the change-over to county governments will work after the next General Election.

Abdikadir Mohammed, the chairman of the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee, and David Ngugi, the chairman of the Local Authorities Committee, have recruited legal and constitutional experts to explain to the MPs what to expect when the new system is rolled out in the country’s 47 counties.

“There have been queries as to how this devolution will work …we want to explain to members so that they know the urgency of why we need to legislate to make it easier for the devolution of resources and power and make devolution a reality,” Mr Mohammed said Wednesday.

The two-day meeting begins Friday.

It comes a day after Parliament concluded debate on the crucial Public Financial Management Bill and also within two days of the President appointing the Transitional Authority –the team that will midwife the devolution of resources and power to the grassroots.

Devolution experts

The MPs also approved the County Governments Bill and sent it to the President for his assent.

Parliament has taken devolution experts --among them Prof Peter Wanyande of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution, Dr Kamau Thugge of the Treasury and Dr Timothy Mutesasira, a Ugandan consultant-- to break down the workings of devolved governments and county assemblies to MPs.

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The lawmakers have been uncertain as to how the counties would look like after the next elections, saying that if the government did not beef up the secretariats then the situation would be “messy”.

“If you don’t do something, it is going to be messy when the county governments take effect. This is because the President, upon election, would find the civil service already in place, but what would happen to the governor?” Danson Mungatana (Garsen) asked Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno at a meeting in Parliament on Tuesday.

A brief sent to MPs seen by the Nation notes that the meeting will “appraise the constitutional and statutory mandates of the 47 County Assemblies that will be in place immediately after the next General Election”.

The MPs will also map out the amount of work to be done to support “and build the institutional strength of these new governance institutions” at the grassroots.

Roadmap

The MPs will also come up with a road-map on what needs to be done, and timelines, so as to know if by the time the country goes to the polls, it would be ready for the county governments.

“(MPs will also) examine and identify the constitutional junction between the County Assemblies and the County Executive Committees, as well as with the Parliament of Kenya, and establish effective interfaces, especially between the Senate and County Assemblies,” reads the brief.

Some government departments had already taken the lead in dispatching officers to the counties but when MPs complained about the manner in which it was being done, the government withdrew the official circular sending officers to the counties to lay the groundwork for the county public service.

The government left the job to the recently appointed Transitional Authority.

President Kibaki in consultation with Prime Minister Raila Odinga, on Monday night, picked Mr Kinuthia Mwangi Wamwangi as the chairperson of the Transition Authority.

They also appointed Ms Angeline Awino Hongo, Ms Safia Abdi, Ms Mary Ndeto, Ms Jacqueline Mogeni, Mr Erastus Nyaga Rweria, Mr Simeon Pkiyach, Mr Bakari Omara and Mr Dabar Maalim as members.

The agency will be charged with coordinating transition to the devolved government.