Governors fight to protect their newfound turf

By John Oywa and Moses Michira

Naivasha, Kenya: The simmering turf wars between national and county governments finally imploded in Naivasha after Governors elected to head the devolved units walked out on senior State officials.

Moments after President Kibaki opened an induction workshop for Kenya’s first batch of 47 Governors countrywide, the new sheriffs in town walked out of a meeting protesting interference by State officials.

This Governors fight to protect their newfound turf spectacle unfolded about an hour after the outgoing President opened the workshop where, among other things, he defended the government-appointed County Commissioners as well as the members of provincial administration his office decided to retain to the displeasure of incoming breed of elected regional administrators.

The Head of State had told the Governors to stop fighting “over petty things”, a remark which is also said to have incensed the Governors and were demanding to be told by Kibaki what he exactly meant.

Incensed by the President’s statements, the Governors also demanded clarification over the remarks by the Head of State that there was also one unitary government.

The Governors were also protesting at the failure by State protocol officials to allow them to meet the Head of State in private to discuss “pressing issues.”

The Standard later learnt that the Governors were also unhappy that the central government was deliberately delaying the transfer of funds meant for their operations.

Turned down

“The issue here is that the Governors and their teams felt it was of no use to take them through a whole week’s induction when other structures were not in place. That’s why they wanted to meet the President,” said a senior government official who asked not to be named.

The Governors who spoke to The Standard said they wanted to meet the President before he officially opened the induction conference but their request was turned down.

Kibaki had earlier on, in one of his rare hard-hitting speeches, warned the Governors against engaging in supremacy wars with County commissioners over the management of the devolved governments.

He described the wrangles reported between the Governors and County commissioners and other central government officials in the past weeks as “complete nonsense” saying despite the devolution of political units, “Kenya remained one unitary State”. 

But the Governors went on the warpath soon after the President’s motorcade drove out of the venue.  They demanded that senior government officials led by Local Government Permanent Secretary Prof Karega Mutahi who were to chair the afternoon session leave the podium.

They also demanded to hold an urgent meeting with the Chairman of Transitional Authority, Mr Kinuthia Wamwangi, for some clarifications before the meeting could continue.

Watch in disbelief

Wamwangi’s attempts to cool down tempers failed. The chairman of Constitution Implementation Commission, Mr Charles Nyachae, who was sitting next to Prof Mutahi, watched in disbelief as the Governors attacked the State officials. They also wanted the Justice Permanent Secretary, Mr Gichira Kibara, out of the podium.

Meru Governor Peter Munya and his Kiambu counterpart William Kabogo set the tone of the protests when they said all was not well with the Devolution process hence the need for an urgent meeting with Wamwangi.

But it was Bomet County Governor Isaac Ruto who fired the shot that broke up the meeting: “The Governors have been receiving strange warnings and threats from some Permanent Secretaries. The Executive must not chair this meeting. Let them come down and join us down here.”

Water down

Ruto argued the President’s speech needed clarification. “The truth is that we have 48 governments in this country. There is one central government and 47 County governments,” Ruto went on.

Some of the Governors accused senior operatives from the Office of the President of seeking to water down their roles. “There have been condescending warnings from the State. What I know is that no government is more superior to the other and I don’t know why we have been receiving these warnings,” said Ruto.

Ruto then turned the heat on Prof Mutahi:   “I can see PS Karega there on stage, he seems to be part of these warnings.” The PS did not react.

Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok told Wamwangi that the meeting will not proceed if he did not agree to meet them in private. “We requested a meeting with President Kibaki but it didn’t happen. The central government officials have spoken to us and they have left. We either meet Wamwangi or there will be no meeting here,” added Nanok.

Machakos County Governor Alfred Mutua said that there was no way they could work without funds. He said that the majority of them had been forced to use their personal vehicles and pay their drivers and security officers as there were no funds.

The former Government Spokesman noted that despite getting assurance of financing from Treasury, the promise was yet to be fulfilled.

After his pleas for calm fell on deaf ears, Wamwangi accepted to meet the Governors in one of the restaurants.  He however asked their deputies and other officials to remain behind.

“I am pleading with you Governors to remain calm. All these issues will be addressed. Let us find the best formula to address them,” he said.

Wamwangi’s explanation that Mutahi and other central government officials were at the meeting to help find ways of tapping money from the Central Bank to the Counties did not help much.

Late last evening, the Governors were still locked up in the meeting with Wamwangi.  County Assembly speakers, coordinators, clerks and   secretaries were however going on with their induction in a separate tent.

Earlier, Finance minister Njeru Githae promised the Governors that the central government supported the devolution process. On the issue of flags Governors were in united in saying they were entitled to do so and they resolved to ignore a directive from Attorney General Githu Muigai.

The AG said only six categories of persons under the law are allowed to fly the national flag, namely the President, Vice-President, Chief Justice, Speaker of the National Assembly, ministers, and the Attorney General.

Muigai warned that those who defaulted and disobeyed the law would be liable to a fine of Sh2000.