Governors want the national government to allocate more money to devolved functions to enable them implement development plans.
At the same time, the governors want the national government to stop pulling devolution towards centralization.
Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya blamed the national government of interfering with the cash flow for devolved functions which he said made it difficult for counties to smoothly implement their development plans.
“We are also saying that county development plans have not been fully implemented due to delayed funding and this animal called IFMIS. Currently we are in arrears of two installments,” he said.
Speaking during the 2nd launch of Trans Nzoia County integrated development plan at KMTI College Oparanya questioned, “The function of agriculture was devolved, why the national government shouldengage in the purchase of subsidized fertilizer?.”
According to Oparanya, more funds should be channeled to functions such as agriculture and health to enable counties offer better services to its people.
He however admitted that corruption was the main obstacle to implementation of development plans besides inadequate funding and delayed disbursement of funds.
Oparanya asked counties to embrace public private partnership adding that private investors played a key role in the economy of any country.
“I am asking governors to invest more in industrialization and embrace value chains which are fast enablers of the economy,” he said.
He said the Lake region Economic block was meant to improve economic growth through partnerships among the member counties.
“We are currently working on policies that will guide our working and we are also in the process of developing a bank for the member counties,” he said.
According to the Kakamega governor, many counties were not attracting foreign funding and asked Kenyans to pool resources and invest in the devolved units for their economic growth.
His Trans Nzoia counterpart Patrick Khaemba said that delayed funding had affected services in the devolved units and supported the COG chair to have money follow devolved functions.
Khaemba asked the National government to come clean on the health equipment service programme for counties saying that the initiative though good as it had eased health problem was a burden to counties.
“I have been paying Sh200million per year for the equipment and no one is telling me how much am expected to pay and when the payment is ending,” he said.
On his part, Turkana governorJosephat Nanok lamented that Sh.8billion deficit for devolved unit was due selfish interest from some officers from national government.
Oparanya said that the CIDP’s is anchored in the National government blue prints such as vision 2030 and agenda 4.
By Pauline Ikanda
