Tell the true story of devolution, says Anne Waiguru

The story of devolution should be told differently to avoid negativity and suspicion, Ms Anne Waiguru, the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning, said on Tuesday.

Addressing delegates attending the Second Devolution Conference at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu, Ms Waiguru said there were many reasons to celebrate the journey that the country had travelled since it embraced the devolved system of government after the March 2013 election.

“Devolution has gained a lot of ground and is now an indispensable part of our social and political infrastructure,” she said. “The economy is booming, business optimism is high, infrastructure projects are in high gear and there is a general feeling that the country is on the right trajectory.”

According to her, however, the positive story about devolution has not been told.

“Where devolution is concerned, we have often heard a negative story, a story of inter-governmental turmoil and suspicion. But those of us who walk this journey of devolution, know that this is not the full story — this is not even the true story,” she said.

TELL THE OTHER STORY

While quoting Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus and Americanah among other novels, Ms Waiguru said that how the story is told “not only influences our belief of history, but also impacts on our perspectives of the future”.

She told the gathering of over 6,000 delegates that the conference, whose theme is “celebrating devolution” was an opportunity to tell the other story about devolution that had not been told.

“It helps us move away from creating a stereotype of the devolution process in Kenya. It helps us understand that there is no linear process in a political process such as this; it is a multi-layering of processes with different facets of engagement,” she said, and quoted a recent survey by Ipsos which indicated that two thirds of Kenyans polled said they supported devolution.

She said Sh210 billion was allocated to counties in 2013/14, while Sh226 billion was shared out in the current financial year. She projected that Sh283 billion will be given out in the next financial year which starts in July.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that the devolved system of government is on course,” she said. “We shall succeed in addressing any teething problems that were bound to emerge.”

Addressing the same meeting, the outgoing chairman of the Council of Governors, Mr Isaac Ruto, said: “We maintain that the minimum percentage of sharable revenue should be 45 per cent of the preceding year’s revenue and this must be anchored in the Constitution.”