By XN Iraki

Every county now can boast of its own speaker, governor, county reps, cabinet secretaries, capital, university and other positions that mirror those at national level.

It was an attempt to give citizens some sense of belonging and ownership of government. Don’t we take care and nurture what we own, including our own children?

Some could argue boldly that county assemblies are the seedbeds to grow the next generation of national leaders. The devolution of leadership positions to grassroots reduced the pressure and cutthroat competition that characterised the big but few positions at the top, culminating in the bloated Grand Coalition Government.

Kenyans might also find pride in identifying with their counties, may be a realisation that we all need anchors and roots before we become Kenyans and then global citizens.

Devolution is a familiar pattern worldwide, adopted by USA, India, South Africa, Nigeria and many other countries.  

Those who shall never make it to the national arena still have a chance to play their role at the lower level. It is like giving your son his own house to make him responsible, so that he can pay rent, pay other bills and grow up.

Other observers have suggested that the new Constitution was our last excuse in our quest to become a modern nation. Now we have it and power has been devolved. Like a son owning a house, he must learn to earn a living to pay his new luxury and freedom. Shall counties do the same?

The economic thinking behind devolution is that people at the grassroots know their problems and priorities better and given the freedom, they will better solve them and grow their local economy, unlike bureaucrats at the central governments, who often have no idea what happens in the grassroots.

Elinor Ostrom, the 2009 Economics Nobel Prize winner, showed that local communities can manage their resources from water to pastures for posterity contrary to the familiar tragedy of the commons. Her findings were surprising because we have always been told that common resources can best be managed through privatisation or government regulation.

Ostrom’s ideas will come handy in the counties, particularly those where lots of resources like land are communally owned.

As counties take their responsibility, it may be prudent to learn from their past cultural practices how they have successfully managed their resources without imposing the modern economic thinking.  The neglect of traditions that have kept some communities alive for generations may be our undoing. How do Maasais eat so much meat, but heart diseases are rare among them?

Modern nations have risen to economic eminence because of drinking from the fountain of traditional wisdom. Examples; Japanese remained Japanese as they conquered the world with electronics and cars. Koreans remained Koreans as they made chips and ships.

So what are the economic prospects of the new counties?

It is surprising that governors are fighting for office space, when the modern trend is telecommuting and working in the cyberspace —the reason why social media is creating so much interest even for security agents.  Governors should instead be drawing their strategic plans, to fit into Vision 2030 and beyond.  They should be figuring out how they will leverage on the newly found freedom from the centre, how they will ride on East African integration and globalisation.

Have counties figured out what they will do with the revenues from the central government? Have they learned how to generate their own revenues beyond parking charges? How will they attract and sustain investors? How will they keep of carpetbaggers from the centre following money to the grassroots?

Counties can learn from other nations, particularly USA where our constitutional framers got their inspiration. They did not even change the wording including calling cabinet ministers, secretaries, a term that is running out of fashion.

Counties can catalyse economic growth by either looking inside or outside.   Each county has a head start in some areas. Nairobi is a leader in financial services, driven by a long tradition, strategic location and lots of talents. It is possible other counties can “copy” and become financial centres. Mandera’s location at the confluence of three nations, Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia makes her a strong candidate.

Kisumu can leverage on her location astride three East African nations, and by the lake which can be a source of food and entertainment too. Why are there no boat casinos in Kisumu?  What of the long tradition of scholarship? How can this region leverage on that?

Mombasa and Lamu should become the richest and most influential counties if they exploited the sea and trade. They should be like New York or California. Other counties should identify their greatest strength. Nyandarua has rich agricultural land and rich history based on the famous “Happy valley” which can generate thousands of dollars in tourism.

Narok has tourism and so is Laikipia. Murang’a has cultural advantage as the cradle of Agikiyu. Meru has natural beauty because of Mt. Kenya and greenery. Visiting Miraa farms would attract lots of visitors.

Other counties like Kitui, Makueni, Turkana, Garissa and Marsabit are semi arid. Their governors should visit Nevada or California and learn how to make deserts bloom. Counties that border Uganda, TZ, Ethiopia and Somalia should leverage on legal cross border trade.

If any governor sits with his cabinet and gets aid from some strategic thinkers, they are likely to identify their county’s anchor in either products or services.

Counties will grow by looking outside too. One easy option is offer joint services with each other to benefit from economies of scale. Why can’t three or so counties have a joint university, referral hospitals or other expensive facilities? Too much inside looking will be counterproductive.

How much trade shall the counties have with each other? It may surprise you that only 11 per cent of the USA trade is with the outside world, the rest is interstate. Both central and county governments must ensure all barriers to trade are removed.

Finally, the growth of counties will depend on their level and quality of human resources. Nairobi leads the country because it’s able to “skim” the best brains from all over the country and world. Any county that will do the same will have a head start.

Immigrants whether from one county to another or from another country often see things in a new perspective, turning problems into opportunities — the essence of entrepreneurship. USA would not be a superpower without a steady stream of immigrants, not just from abroad but from within states. They make a disproportionate share of entrepreneurs. If Soviet Union had attracted talents and retained them, communism would have lasted longer.

The counties may have their resources, but it’s the brains they attract that will determine how they are exploited. Now the county assemblies and governors are in place, the political scheming is over. It’s time to shift to the economic front, the harder part but the key determinant of the success or failure of counties.

Food for thought: Which County will become our Mississippi or West Virginia, the poorest states in US or California and Alaska, the richest, as reported by US census bureau?