Battle looms over power billions

The stage is set for a bruising battle pitting governors and MPs for control of billions of shillings meant for lighting up Kenya’s countryside.

The Transitional Authority (TA) is waiting for an agreement between counties and the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) before shifting the function to them.

A report by the Committee on Devolved Government on Transfer of Functions to counties passed in the Senate endorses transfer of the Rural Electrification Authority function to the counties.

SETS STAGE FOR FIGHT

TA indicated in an August 9, 2013 gazette notice that REA projects “shall be transferred within the transition period as per the Rural Electrification Authority schedules.”

Senate’s move to give Rural Electrification Authority functions to counties sets the stage for a fight with MPs over control of billions of shillings meant for lighting up the rural areas.

Governors had asked the Senate to give them REA functions.

It now means that counties could influence how the billions allocated to rural power outfit are used in what could spark a fight with MPs who, next year, are expected to control Sh3.65 billion for supply of power to remote zones.

The Senate wants both the governors and the national government to share the responsibilities of connecting rural Kenya to the national grid in the short-term pending the full transfer to the devolved units.

The Transitional Authority said all the agriculture functions, except the Agricultural Mechanization Stations (AMS) and Grain Storage Facilities (GSF), had been transferred.

The August 9, 2013 gazette notice that shifted the agriculture function, withheld transfer of AMS and GSF for six months due to absence of the facilities in all counties, making it necessary to share them.

TA said it was undertaking a proper audit and valuation of the facilities and machineries to establish their status and condition.

The authority said it has transferred all county roads to the devolved units, save for the ones managed by Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Kenya Rural Roads Authority, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forestry Service.

NATURAL RESOURCES

“TA has no objection to transferring the management of these roads, and is in the process of developing modalities for the transfer of the functions. TA undertakes to ensure the county roads managed by Kura and Kerra are transferred as soon as possible and in any case well before the expiry of the statutory transition period,” the report said.

The authority urged the Senate to spearhead appropriate amendments to legislation in the roads sector to facilitate the transfer.

It said it has fully transferred the function of implementation of national government policies on natural resources and environment conservation excluding forests managed by the Kenya Forest Service, the National Water Towers and private forests to the counties.