Governors threaten to amend devolution law

Devolution is emerging as the next battle front in local politics following disagreements on the actual powers of the 47 county governors.

Governors have threatened to mastermind an amendment to the National Government Coordination Act (2013), which appears to entrench the Provincial Administration.

The governors and devolution activists have been at war with the Executive over attempts to favour a parallel power base.

The leaders fear having county commissioners as part of the devolved governments may scuttle developments at the grassroots.

And while preparing to fight for full recognition the devolved units, the county bosses have formed an 11-member coordination committee to identify issues of concern and present a working formula on how to press for full implementation of all the devolution laws.

Bomet governor Isaac Ruto was nominated the chairman of the team.

“We set up a coordinating committee of 11 governors to ensure that everything falls into place,” Mr Ruto said. “We have set up a council of governors and this will be the summit which is to be chaired by the President and the chairman of the council.”

He said that the governors would demand to have the summit convened after President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta is sworn-in to deal with the pressing devolution issues.

“We are going to propose to the National Assembly and the Senate to have this law on Provincial Administration amended because governors are expected to appoint county administrators and other administrators who will do the jobs the government is sending county commissioners and the rest to do,” he said.

On Tuesday, the coordinating committee is expected to hold their first meeting in Nairobi to outline and prescribe solutions to some of the problems identified as hindrances to devolution.