Governors not fighting for power, says Kingi

Kilifi County Governor Amason Kingi receives a gift from Standard Group’s Commercial Director Irene Kimani on Wednesday. A delegation of senior officials from the Standard Group paid the governor a courtesy visit at his Kilifi office. [PHOTO: JOSEPH MASHA/STANDARD]

By JOSEPH MASHA

Governors are not advocating for devolution so as to get more power from the national government, Kilifi County Governor Amason Kingi has said.

He said governors from the 47 counties are not in conflict with the national government – what they want are services to be devolved to the counties.

Kingi said some people mistake governors for people who are fighting for power when they demand to have services devolved to counties.

“Governors should not been seen as people who are fighting for power and immense wealth through devolution but as fighting to make county governments functional,” said Kingi.

Senior officials

Kingi made the remarks in the deputy governor’s boardroom in Kilifi yesterday when he received a delegation of senior officials from the Standard Group led by the Commercial Director Irene Kimani and Chief Editor (Print) John Bundotich.

Kingi said the fight for devolution in the country should not be left to governors alone and that other stakeholders like the media should chip in.

“The media has a duty to fight for the realisation of the devolved system of governance in the country as stipulated in the law as that is what Kenyans have been crying for,” said Kingi.

Ms Kimani said the essence of the delegation visiting the counties was to enhance a good relationship with the counties’ leadership.

Ms Kimani said the Standard Group fully supports the devolution of services from the national government to the counties and promised the governor that the company would support the counties in the fight for devolution.

“The Standard Group fully supports the devolution of services from the national government to the counties and as a company, we will give county governments the necessary media coverage to fight for the same,” said Ms Kimani.

Denied opportunity

She said it was shocking that counties had been denied an opportunity by the national government to manage their own roads.

Kingi said county governments were better placed to know which roads need repair and where new ones should be built unlike the national government that has its executive organ located in Nairobi.

He challenged the media to take a leading role in pushing for the devolution of services from the national government to the counties.

Kingi said the media is a powerful tool that can be used to fight for the rights of Kenyans and that the media needs to act and push for devolution.