Devolution the best tool against inequalities and poverty, say experts

Residents of Kaptembwa Estate in Nakuru Municipality queue with jerricans to fetch water at Naroka Water point. UN Economic Commission for Africa meeting in Nairobi on February 8, 2016 lauded devolution as the best tool for fight against poverty and inequalities. PHOTO | JOSEPH KIHERI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Development experts said public participation, distribution of resources to ordinary people and more inter-Africa trade are crucial in addressing poverty.

  • World Bank says African economies have shown a steady rise in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at an average of 4.8 per cent with economic growth of 3.7 per cent.

  • Lack of economic opportunities has partly contributed to illegal immigration can easily be solved by policy changes such as devolved systems.

Governance and economic experts say devolution and diversified economies are the best bets to reduce inequalities and address poverty in Kenya and Africa as a whole.

The specialists who spoke during the 20th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts in Nairobi on Monday said increased public participation, distribution of resources to the ordinary people and more inter-Africa trade are crucial in addressing poverty.

Organised by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in conjunction the Ministry of Devolution and National Planning, the experts also discussed the paradox of a continent said to be rising but which still has a high percentage of its people living below the poverty line.

The World Bank says African economies have shown a steady rise in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at an average of 4.8 per cent with economic growth of 3.7 per cent.

In fact, the bank says Africa has ten of the world’s fastest growing economies.

“Our region has some of the fastest growing economies. This notwithstanding, our youth continue to seek greener pastures outside the continent,” Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri told a gathering at the Safari Park Hotel.

“If Africa is rising, why are conflicts escalating on the continent, yet growth is supposed to open up opportunities thereby reducing tensions in our societies and give hope?” he added.

Low trade among African countries and lack of economic opportunities for the poor are compounding the problem, the experts further said.

As a result, disillusioned citizens have taken up arms to rebel or simply taken the dangerous route of illegal migration.

THE SOLUTION

The solution, they said, lies in policy changes such as the devolved system as is in Kenya.

“Kenya serves as an important case study because she is  leading in devolution but it should also be about generating shared prosperity,” Mr Antonio Pedro, the UNECA Regional Director for East Africa said.

In 2013, Kenya launched 47 counties each with its own administration and budget to address local issues and compliment the national government.

Though the system has faced challenges such as constant wrangling between governors and the national government as well as workers’ strikes, World Bank says it has brought many benefits too.

“It is transformative and has strengthened accountability and public service delivery at local levels,” a brief on devolution in Kenya posted on the bank’s website reads.

However, the brief adds inequality, poverty and an economy vulnerable to external shocks must be addressed. 

For example, about two thirds of the country’s wealth is controlled by less than 10,000 people from a population of 44 million. Kenya has one the highest rich-poor gaps in Africa.

Mr Pedro, a Mozambican national, argued devolved policies should go hand in hand with efforts to diversify economies where countries focus more on industrialisation as opposed to exporting raw materials.

“If you look at our economies, they are basically trading in the same commodities which reduces the potential for us to trade with each other. As we industrialise, opportunities to maximize trade will rise,” Mr Pedro added.

The conference ends on Thursday.