A meeting of 21 Jubilee- allied governors yesterday resolved that the chairman of their council Isaac Rutto should 'go slow' in his push for devolution as out was giving the impression that the government was not committed to devolution.
Several sources at the meeting held at Deputy President William Ruto's official Karen residence said they were told it was not in 'good taste for the public' to see the governors, especially those allied to Jubilee to be 'bashing the government.'
“We had a lengthy discussion on a number of issues that has been reported in the media and what we felt was needed to be resolved urgently as far as devolution is concern. We also agreed to end unnecessary politics associated with devolution,he (William Ruto) told us to work together as a team,” one of the governors who was in the meeting but who did not want to be identified said.
A statement issued by Ruto's office said the governors agreed to end the differences between them, Members of Parliament and the executive. Addressing journalist after the closed door meeting which took almost eight hours, Ruto said that they had “met as a family for house keeping matters”.
“We have had fruitful discussion as jubilee governors and the executive just for house keeping,the engagements were fruitful,”he said. There has been sustained campaign especially by Rift Valley MPs who have been pushing for Rutto's expulsion from URP for his hard line stance over what he says is the Jubilee government's unwillingness to implement devolution.
Rutto has also been accused of working with the opposition to topple the Jubilee government and over the weekend, several MPs called for his expulsion from the party to allow the people to chose another governor who was willing to work with the government.
Rutto came under attack when as the chairman of the governors' council comprising of all 47 governors, he said they would initiate the process of amending the constitution to increase the funds allocated to county governments from the current constitutional minimum of 15 per cent to 40 per cent.
The governors have also been agitating for the strengthening of the Senate, the devolution of bursary funds, infrastructure maintenance and construction of primary and secondary schools in the counties.
The county chiefs have also been fighting for devolution of funds of the Youth and Women Funds which they want to be disbursed through the county governments in order to create jobs at the grassroots level.
Currently, the Devolution and Planning department oversees the management of the CDF, Women and Youth funds. During the meeting held in Shanzu two weeks ago and dubbed"referendum for constitutional amendment" the council of governors resolved the increase in the county allocations will hasten developments at grassroot levels.
Yesterday Rutto maintained that the governors will carry on with the referendum but will only restrict themselves to the issues which should be devolved.
It was not however clear if the council of governors will shelf a series of countrywide oint rallies which they scheduled to start on August 31 to drive the initiative which was to benchmarked on peace, security and development.
It was not clear whether yesterday's resolution to 'go slow' on the referendum would be binding to the Cord allied governors, 12 of whom are due to return this morning after a two-day Kenyan governors bi-annual conference held in Texas. The delegation was let by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The resolutions which the jubilee governors reached yesterday, state that the devolution will remain a core agenda for the government as “espoused in the Jubilee manifesto and that both national and county government will remain committed to it”.
And to bring an end to the friction and suspicion between the governors and the executive, they agreed that they will be engaging “continuously and constructively” to resolve emerging issues so as to “make devolution a success”.
Other resolutions made are adopting the framework of expediting the transfer of functions to county governments, consultations on all laws relating to devolution as well as the government committing to respond to all governance challenges.
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