John Kufuor urges governors to be vigilant on power limits

Respected African statesman John Kufuor has reminded governors that Kenya’s two levels of government are not, and should not be equal.

“There must be a hierarchy in the wielding of power, which should be horizontal as well as vertical,” the former president of Ghana told the leaders in Naivasha on Thursday.

He told the governors, during their second annual conference, “I do not think that your Constitution intended to create a headless power structure. Rather, the checks and balances should work at all levels, including even at the ward level.”

He said in a modern democracy such as Kenya’s, the people willingly hand over their sovereign power to their elected representatives for power to be exercised on their behalf under a contract called the Constitution.

“The limits of power and authority are spelt out in the Constitution. The rights and responsibilities of the governors as well as those of the governed are also clearly delineated in the Constitution,” he added.

Similarly, he added, the institutions of State and of government, such as the Executive, the legislature, the Judiciary, the civil and public services, and the security organs, among others, all have their functions clearly spelt out.

He added there had to be a sense of responsibility on county governors who had to lead by example.

“Experience has shown that without selfless leadership and commitment throughout public administration, even your best policies would have little practical effects,” he said.

SHOULD EXERCISE RESTRAINT

Mr Kufuor told the regional leaders that they had to be equally accountable to those below them.

“Once you are able to do these, you would be on the moral high ground and your demands on the central government would have been strengthened,” he said.

On the numerous reports of corruption in the counties, Mr Kufuor said the media should exercise restraint even as they played their watchdog role.

That were claims by governors that Kenyan journalists have a propensity to highlight the negative.

Mr Kufuor succeeded Jerry Rawlings as the second President of the Republic of Ghana from 2001 to 2009 and was succeeded by John Atta Mills.

The retired statesman was also the chairman of the African Union from 2007 to 2008.

As the AU chairman, Mr Kufuor put together a team of African elders that mediated talks between Mwai Kibaki’s PNU and Raila Odinga’s ODM after Kenya imploded over who really had won the 2007 General Election.

His efforts bore fruit when Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga signed the National Accord and subsequently formed the Government of National Unity that lasted a full electoral term up to 2013.