Low literacy level slows law making in devolved units
What you need to know:
- The report, compiled by the Charles Nyachae-led team, says an assessment of 32 counties indicated that they have developed a total of 53 policies and eight plans while 11 regulations were reported to be in various stages of development.
- Those that had been completed were not published on time due to lack of printers.
Low literacy levels and poor printing facilities are some of the problems hampering law making in counties, says a report.
The report released by the Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution says poor education among county assembly members is limiting debate on Bills, resulting in sub-standard legislation.
It recommends an amendment to the Constitution to raise the academic requirements for county assembly representatives.
It also blames lack of commitment and frequent quorum hitches for poor performance.
The report, compiled by the Charles Nyachae-led team, says an assessment of 32 counties indicated that they have developed a total of 53 policies and eight plans while 11 regulations were reported to be in various stages of development.
Those that had been completed were not published on time due to lack of printers.
The report recommends that the Government Printer may need to devolve its services or counties should set up their own printing departments.
It also advises counties to recruit lawyers or to outsource legal drafters.
It further called for appraisal systems in county assemblies and installation of biometric equipment to monitor attendance of members.
INADEQUATE FUNDING
Financial constraints, including inadequate funding of devolved functions and centralisation of funds at the county level were also mentioned adversely, alongside frequent disagreements on issues like hiring of staff.
The report says poor public participation in making laws due to low levels of civic education and unclear outreach strategies can be addressed by setting aside adequate funds for public consultations.
The report, released a year after the introduction of devolved systems, also criticises existing inappropriate national laws for failure to guide county governments in their operations.
