By MOSES MICHIRA and JOHN OYWA
Kenya: The governors’ battle for full control of counties appeared to have been won as top government officials ceded ground.
Senior State officials agreed to re-examine issues that made the governors walk out of a meeting in Naivasha on Tuesday.
The governors trooped back to the meeting at a Naivasha resort as it emerged that Transition Authority (TA) chairman Kinuthia Wamwangi had rushed back to Nairobi to negotiate for urgent release of the Sh9.8 billion that had stirred unease.
Kinuthia, the convenor of the meeting, was absent from the venue yesterday and governors who spoke to The Standard said he was summoned to Nairobi to discuss the transfer of the money to the counties.
The Standard learnt the TA has also backed down on its earlier decision to itemise county budgets.
Sources who attended the close door meeting involving the county Chief Executives, Mr Kinuthia and the chairman of the Constitution Implementation Commission, Mr Charles Nyachae, said the Government officials had agreed with the governors on some of the issues.
“It was agreed that the Treasury and the TA stop budgeting for the counties. We all agreed that the counties should do their own budgets,” said Homa Bay Governor Mr Cyprian Awiti. “It was also resolved that the Sh9.8 billion be dispatched to the counties as soon as possible and that is why Wamwangi rushed back to Nairobi.”
Resist attempts
He said Kinuthia and Nyachae were scheduled to meet with the Treasury officials to organise for release of the money in the next few days.
Mr Awiti said the governors were also planning to meet President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta for further consultations as soon as he is sworn in.
According to him they had also resolved to continue flying the national flag as a sign of authority.
He said that he and his colleagues would resist attempts to impose prepared budgets from the TA which covers the period between March and July, citing that the counties needed to have independence in their budgetary process. “Devolution is about allowing counties to spend according to their respective needs. The national government should not budget for us,” said Mr Awiti.
The transition body had drafted budgets for county governments before the next financial year when the governors and county assemblies can come up with their own spending plans. And the governors continued to criticise President Kibaki’s assertion that Kenya is a unitary state, saying they will not allow the county commissioners to usurp their powers.
President Kibaki, while officially opening the induction workshop for the leaders said Kenya remained a unitary state despite the devolution of politics and governance to counties.
The President had also warned against the on-going standoff between officials of the provincial administration and the newly-elected county government officials.
On Wednesday, the county bosses said they have no apologies to make for boycotting the Tuesday meeting, saying it was apparent the national government was taking them for granted. “There is absolutely nothing to discuss with county commissioners because they are only liaison officers representing the central government,” said Isaac Ruto, the governor for Bomet County.
Ruto, had led his peers on a walkout to protest Kibaki’s sentiment on Tuesday, temporarily scuttling the induction program. “There have been sustained efforts to frustrate devolution but we will put a strong fight, even in the next administration that assumes office next week,” Mombasa senator Hassan Joho said.
By yesterday however, most issues that the governors had raised had been addressed.
Prof Karega Mutahi, the PS in the Local Government ministry said objections raised by the governors were anticipated, but was clear that outstanding issues had been ironed out.
