County development board a game changer

An objective appraisal of the County Development Board introduced recently by Parliament through an ammendment to the County Government Act will reveal that it will be a game  changer in the way counties are managed and heralds a new phase in the march to entrench devolution in the country.

The law describes the board as 'a consultative forum' to discuss the development projects in a county, and give recommendations to the county government. It neither directs the governors to implement these recommendations, nor does it give the chair, who will be the senator, any executive power. Suggestions that it will undermine the county assemblies or usurps the role of the governors is clearly far-fecthed in my view. But for now, it will be up to the courts to determine this matter.