Gov’t Will Give Devolution A Voice, DP Gachagua Tells Governors

MOMBASA, Kenya, Sept, 16 – The National Government has vowed to fully support devolution and work done by the governors at the counties for the betterment of the nation.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of Governors and Deputy Governors induction conference, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said they will be readily available for consultations and in situations, where county governments may need assistance and intervention by the National Government.

“The government will give devolution its voice as it is the voice of the people. We will also protect and ensure respect for elected leaders and allow them to speak for the people,” he said.

The DP has also asked national government administration officials to work closely with their respective county bosses and have respect for each other as they discharge their duties.

“In situations where the Governors need to be questioned for audit matters, let it be done with dignity. We will not allow disrespect of any kind to an elected leader,” he added.

At the same time, Gachagua disclosed that in a further commitment by the government to support devolution, the perennial delay in the disbursement of county funds will be tackled with immediate effect.

He stated that the remarks made by President William Ruto during the inauguration ceremony in his quest to support devolution were true and just like he started with the judiciary, good things are also coming to the county governments.

On his part, the Tharaka Nithi County Governor Muthomi Njuki, urged the government to put more emphasis on the timely disbursement of funds to counties.

Njuki said that the Governors are cash strained due to delayed disbursement of funds, thus the current crunch of pending bills across the counties.

“We are concerned by the perennial delays in disbursement of the county equitable share by the National Treasury. It is very unfair that there is inequality in this matter as the national government gets its allocation, thus its operations remain uninterrupted while county services are paralyzed,” said Njuki.

The Governor further added that the election for the Council of Governors (CoG) will be conducted freely and fairly, where candidates for the various positions will be chosen based on merit and not on political affiliations.

So far five Governors have shown interest for the chairperson’s position including Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru.