Governors and State's uneasy dalliance in full show at devolution conference

The absence of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto at the annual devolution conference has become a talking point, and has been read in some quarters as symptomatic of the strained relationship between governors and the Executive.

Even though the national government’s primary representative at the conference was Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, who insisted that the Presidency was well represented at the forum, the CS struck an odd pose at the conference that ended on Friday.

“Criticising ourselves should not become a full time obsession,” Kiunjuri said in his closing remarks.

President Kenyatta had been listed to officially open the conference on Wednesday after the keynote address by Namibia’s Prime Minister Dr Saara Kuugogelwa Amadhila, while Ruto was to close the conference on Friday in a session that also included a statement by Opposition leader Raila Odinga.

In the end, both the President and his deputy delegated the roles to Kiunjuri and Water and Irrigation CS Eugene Wamalwa with apologies that they were held up in other national duties.

State House played down the President’s absence with its Senior Director of Public Communications Munyori Buku stating that the Presidency viewed the conference as a forum for counties to exchange ideas.

“We find this obsession with the presence of the President shocking to the point that he is not even expected to delegate to his senior CSs,” said Buku.

Full in-tray

Besides opening the conference, the President had been slated for a host engagements. He had been expected to launch the Mt Kenya Economic Block of 10 counties of Meru, Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Laikipia, Nyeri, Murang’a Kiambu, Kirinyaga and Nyandarua.

He was also to officially open the refurbished Meru County Assembly building and hold a closed-door session with local leaders in what would have been his first visit to Meru in over a year.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga addresses delegates during the 3rd Annual Devolution Conference at Meru National Polytechnic on Friday 22/04/16. The absence of the President and his Deputy at the  conference as been read in some quarters as symptomatic of the strained relationship between governors and the Executive. (PHOTO: BONIFACE OKENDO/ STANDARD)

Even though he did not attend the event, President Kenyatta invited Meru legislators and MCAs to a State House function on Friday in which he announced the injection of Sh1 billion to help the struggling miraa sector. Conspicuously absent at the State House meeting was Governor Peter Munya.

The President also took the opportunity to sign into law a Bill that categorises miraa as a cash crop, opening the way for the sector to receive structured government support.

But the timing of the State House meeting, on the day that the devolution conference was coming to an end, raised suspicion that it was intended to shift attention away from the Meru conference.

Munya’s political camp initially leaked details of the State House invite to MCAs on Wednesday, and was worried about the effect of summoning the county leaders on the last day of the conference.

It appeared then that they had no clue of the meeting’s agenda which became clearer on Friday morning. The county assembly is Munya’s key support base, with about 49 of the 67 members aligned to him.

Munya’s lukewarm dalliance with the Jubilee government is seen in some quarters as one of the reasons the Presidency may have given the devolution conference a miss.

He was initially viewed by government as a moderate figurehead of the Council of Governors (CoG) after he succeeded the forceful Isaac Ruto (Bomet) last year. But he has since significantly edged to the left and describes himself as “Jubilee damu, but not mainstream Jubilee.”

Munya has opposed the merger of Jubilee parties, announced intentions to launch a new political outfit and estranged himself from key Mt Kenya East Jubilee point men such as Murungi and Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki.

Reliable sources indicated that Munya made 22 futile attempts to get a State House commitment to the President’s appearance at the conference and was surprised when MCAs informed him they had been invited to State House on Friday.

Another major reason that may have contributed to the Presidency keeping off the conference was key differences with governors on issues such as disbursements of funds. Allegations of graft against the county by the President during his State of the Nation address may have also contributed.

One of the major bones of contention at the conference was that the President capped disbursements to counties in the last three years at Sh1 trillion while the governors tally is Sh750 billion.

“Presidents do not usually lie and we believe he was misled by some officials to give erroneous amounts — a variance of Sh250 billion. It is an ethical issue which should be investigated by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission,” said Vihiga Governor Moses Akaranga.

Governors are also believed to have been raring to confront the President, perhaps embarrass him, on graft allegations against them which they claim is a new frontier to fight devolution.

At the conference’s closing ceremony, Raila not only got a standing ovation, but stole the limelight with his bare knuckles attack of projects such as the Sh38 billion leased medical equipment and Eurobond saga. That could only have been countered by somebody like DP Ruto.