Kenya Governors want mandate to develop towns

Council of Governors Chairman Peter Munya (right) and Dr Julius Makau Malombe, Kitui Governor chats at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi. This was during county Governors and Urban development executive leadership conference courtesy of UN-Habitat, Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICDL) and Council of Governors. PHOTO: PIUS CHERUIYOT

KENYA: The Council of Governors (CoG) has raised concern over delays to amend the Urban Areas and Cities Act to allow county governments to manage such zones.

CoG Chairman Peter Munya accused the Ministry of Lands of dragging its feet in adopting the input of the council, which would see the devolved units fully manage urban areas under their jurisdictions.

Mr Munya, who was speaking during an Executive Leadership Conference for Governors yesterday, said the national government must expedite the process of the enactment of the Urban Areas and Cities Amendment Act.

"As a council we have given our proposals and input into the proposed revisions of the Act, but the Lands ministry has been slow in working on the amendments of the Act and forwarding it to the National Assembly for enactment," he said.

The Meru Governor said a key amendment county chiefs are seeking is to have the counties take full charge of the classification and management of urban areas, which are still under the Ministry of Lands.

 HUMAN SETTLEMENT

"County governments at the moment cannot directly work with international development partners in developing the towns and urban centres in their zones without working with the national government, which should not be the case," Munya said.

Speaking during the conference, which was also attended by governors Julius Malombe (Kitui), Okoth Obado (Migori), David Nkedianye (Kajiado) and Kinuthia Mbugua (Nakuru), Munya reiterated the council's commitment to ensuring urban development.

"We take the matters of human settlement, urban development, planning and management very seriously. The council has set up a special committee in charge of urban development as a show of commitment in this cause," he said.