BY GEOFFREY MOSOKU

Nairobi, Kenya: Prime Minister Raila Odinga is back in the political arena with a warning about a scheme to kill devolution by undermining the authority of County Governors.

A key supporter of devolution of power and resources to 47 County governments, Raila urged the heads of the new units to hold their ground in a battle with parts of the Executive. Raila last spoke publicly on March 30 when his petition against the election of President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta was defeated.

He spoke out on Wednesday as Governors and their deputies meeting in Naivasha for an induction worshop vowed they would not work together with County Commissioners, arguing their offices were not provided for in the Constitution. The outgoing PM cited County Commissioners – who are members of the provincial administration – as officials installed by senior government officials to undermine the 47 elected Governors.

He urged the Governors to take over offices formerly occupied by provincial administrators. “We did warn about this development immediately the Office of the President embarked on appointing County commissioners but let us get this clear.  It is the system known as provincial administration which was to be restructured to fit into the new order and not the other way round.”

The County Commissioners were appointed by the Office of the President last year and sparked a bitter row in the coalition government, and when the matter went to court, a judge ruled the appointments were unconstitutional.

At the centre of the controversial appointments was Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Francis Kimemia.

Raila waded into the controversy about the role of Governors in his first public meeting since Saturday, a day after President Kibaki opened an induction workshop for County leaders where he reminded them Kenya was a unitary state – meaning one governed as a single unit – and asked them to avoid petty fights. But after the President left, the Governors stormed out of the induction meeting saying they were being undermined by State officials. They said the officials were defying the independence guaranteed to them by the Constitution by dictating how they should spend the Sh9.8billion set aside for their units in this financial year

On Wednesday, the PM said there were attempts to have the elected governors either take orders from County Commissioners or play subsidiary roles to what he termed as ‘agents of an outdated order.’

Interdependent

He cautioned against this move saying Article 6 (2) of the Constitution clearly stipulates that the country shall have two levels of government; national and county government that are distinct and interdependent.

The article reads: “The governments at the national and county levels are distinct and inter-independent and shall conduct their mutual relations on the basis of consultation and cooperation.”

Raila said: “I want to remind our people not to take lightly the games being played over devolution. I warned throughout the campaign that forces for retention of status quo are still alive and strong. They will not let go unless they are forced to.”

He added: “What happened once can happen twice…To be forewarned should have been to be forearmed.”

Raila also said he was not hurting from the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta’s election as the Fourth President.

The PM said many people had gone to his house to console him for the loss, saying there was no need since he is not mourning. “I am still strong, I have not fallen and the struggle must continue,” he said.

Raila added those who deserve being condoled are his supporters some of whom have committed suicide following his loss.

The conflict over the roles of County Commissioners and Governors burst into the open on Tuesday when the latter walked out of senior officials at an ongoing meeting protesting at attempts to downplay their power.

That day Kibaki had told Governors to stop ‘fighting over petty things’ while reiterating they should work with county commissioners.

Yesterday, however, the PM insisted there was no ambiguity that the Governors are the heads of the counties and are accountable to the people who elected them. “But a situation is developing, one that we saw coming, where some forces in government want to have County commissioners and other members of the provincial administration act as the legitimate authorities in the counties”

He went on: “There is an attempt, which we saw coming, to make governors either take orders from County commissioners or play subsidiary roles to these agents of an-out-dated order.”

Raila spoke at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nairobi, where he hosted county representatives elected on his Coalition for Reforms and Democracy ticket.

In his first public meeting since Saturday when the Supreme Court dismissed his petition challenging President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta’s win, Raila said his CORD stands for full and undiluted devolution of power and resources. “That is why I want to call on all governors and County Assembly members, regardless of party, to hold their ground, stand firm and demand to be given the full space and mandate to implement devolution agenda for their voters,” he added.

The premier reminded the country that the transitional clauses stipulated clearly the provincial administration would be restructured to fit into the Devolved units and not the other way round.

Raila said it was only through full devolution that areas that had been neglected by respective governments can also enjoy the national cake.

Without full devolution, Kenya risks returning to old centralisation that is responsible for the inequalities dodging the country, he argued.

“There is no hope for Turkana, Kwale, Tana River, Samburu, among other neglected parts of the county, to ever catch up with the rest of Kenya if we allow the old order to stifle and kill the new dispensation,” he warned.

Raila supported Governors in demanding financial autonomy, saying the county units should be given a free hand to draw their own budgets.

The PM urged Senators to demand full funding for the devolved units. During the luncheon, the county representatives said they will not allow the central government to sabotage devolution.