Torch to celebrate devolution arrives in Vihiga
Council of Governors chairman Peter Munya is flanked by his host Kisumu County Governor Jack Ranguma during the launch of the Devolution Torch at the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground on October 27, 2016. PHOTO | TOM OTIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The purpose of the Devolution Torch is to collect and receive feedback from county residents on the successes and challenges of devolution in counties.
- The torch has already been to Wajir, Kitui, Meru, Makueni and Kisumu counties.
A torch to celebrate the successes of devolution in the past four years arrived in Vihiga County on Monday evening.
Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma handed over the torch to his Vihiga counterpart Moses Akaranga at Kiboswa, on the border of Kisumu and Vihiga.
A brief ceremony was held at Kiboswa before the two county chiefs, in a convoy of several vehicles, headed to Municipal Grounds in Mbale town where Mr Akaranga launched the torch.
The torch will be in the county for three days before it goes to the neighbouring Kakamega County.
During its stay in the county, the torch will go round all the five sub-counties in a caravan, making stopovers at every project initiated by the county government.
The Olympic-style Devolution Torch is intended to go through the 47 counties, the purpose being to collect and receive feedback from county residents on the successes and challenges of devolution at the counties, according to a June 10, 2016 letter to all governors by Council of Governors (CoG) Chief Executive Officer Jacqueline Mogeni.
The torch has already been to Wajir, Kitui, Meru, Makueni and Kisumu counties.
The CoG believes tremendous progress has been made in implementing the 14 devolved functions.
The functions include early childhood education and vocational youth polytechnics, health, infrastructure, energy and environment, information, communication and technology, trade, industry and investment, co-operatives and enterprises, agriculture, public participation, planning and budgeting, water, natural resources and mining and roads, among others.
While handing over the torch, Mr Ranguma said, "I have come to bring you the devolution torch as a proof of [its] success. Thank you for embracing and accepting devolution."
He called for a revival of the debate on the failed Okoa Kenya initiative by the Opposition that had proposed to increase allocations to regional governments to 45 per cent.
For his part, Mr Akaranga said, "This torch means that anyone fighting devolution will be rejected by Kenyans. We have made strides for the time we have implemented devolution."
During the event, Mr Akaranga took time to enumerate various projects initiated by his government.
