Coastal region Governors resolve to utilise local resources

Governors from the coastal region have resolved to ensure natural resources and public investments found in the region fully benefit locals.

The resolution was made when the county bosses converged at the Sun n Sand Beach Hotel in Kilifi yesterday for a follow up of the recently launched coast leaders forum dubbed Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani (Commonwealth of Coast Counties).

They lamented that the six counties benefit the least from the region's natural resources, which appear to enrich 'outsiders' at the expense of locals.

Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya said they will stand firm and press for full implementation of devolution as stipulated by the constitution so that the region can benefit fully from its natural resources.

LION'S SHARE

Taita Taveta Governor John Mrutu said coastal county governments are earning little from the Kenya Ports Authority, national parks, prime beach land and mining activities, since these resources are still being managed by the Government.

Mr Mrutu said the laws need to be reviewed to enable county governments get a bigger share of whatever is generated from their area's natural resources.

"We are in a devolved system of government. We must fight to ensure our counties get the lion's share of revenue collected from Kenya Ports Authority, national parks, beach lands and the mining sector," he said.

Mrutu said the economies of counties within the coastal region will grow very fast if the county governments are empowered to manage their own natural resources.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi said the essence of coast leaders coming together to work as a team is to ensure locals become economically empowered.

He said it is not right that the region continues to be rated among the poorest in the country yet the area is endowed with many natural resources.

Mr Kingi said leaders have to work with professionals from different sectors in order to tap into the potential found in the different natural resources, which has capacity to boost the region's socio-economic development.

"Our people continue to live in abject poverty.

It is time leaders from across the political and professional divide joined hands to initiate development programmes that will improve the locals' socio-economic status," he said.

Mr Mvurya said another issue that has bedeviled the region is that its people continue to live as squatters on their ancestral land.

He urged leaders to work as a team in order to address the problem.

He said the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani forum will support the National Land Commission to ensure it addresses the thorny land issue that has been a challenge for many years.

The forum was also attended by Mombasa Deputy Governor Hazel Katana and Senators Omar Hassan (Mombasa) and Ali Bule (Tana River).

The leaders retaliated that the forum's main agenda is to improve the locals livelihood by growing the region's socio-economic development.

They said they have, for the time being, shunned their political differences, saying this is not a priority at the moment and even cautioning leaders against misleading residents.

MISLEADING LOCALS

Kingi regretted that some people have taken to social media to mislead residents by posting wrong information.

He said coastal leaders are united and will remain as one despite the negative information being put up on social media sites.

"It is so sad to find a leader from this region posting discouraging messages on social media to the effect that this leader's forum is a waste of time and a non-starter.

These are however, sideshows that will not deter us from achieving our objectives," Kingi said.