In counties, a cry for professional managers

By Mohamed Jaffer

The inauguration of 47 county governments next year, as part of a devolved governance structure, which is at the very core of our new Constitution, is a watershed in the history of Kenya.

For the first time, ordinary citizens are likely to have a more proximate influence on how they are governed, without the usual deference to and allocation of resources by the central government in Nairobi.

This development has inevitably caused a lot of excitement among Kenyans. The new governance units present a historic opportunity for better, devolved decision-making and economic management.

Potential eruptions

But they could also be an unmitigated disaster: an opening for the devolution of lethargic implementation, sloppy planning, rabid impunity and outright graft that, on the whole, continue to define the management of the economy at the national level.

The only difference is that while in the past we have had to deal with these vices at the central government level, we are now likely to be grappling with a pervasive national epidemic with potential eruptions in at least 47 entities, with poor resident oversight capacity.

 Actualising the decidedly lofty hopes of the citizenry regarding these devolved governments will hinge solely on the leadership that county citizens elect and the quality of governments they are able to mobilise during the narrow window that will be available to them.

We must first view these units as fully-fledged governments just like the central one, albeit on a smaller scale.

As a result, the skills that are required to run a national government will have to be mobilised for county governments as well to enable them operate optimally.

County government shall require a lot of planning and strategic thinking so that the county’s resources are put to the best use. Developing counties will thus be an enormous task that will require business acumen, bankable business contacts and a keener focus on goals.

A good governor would need to be an astute team player with an eye on results. They must shun the sycophancy and sectarianism that would appear to be the staple of our politics.

We will require leaders who will not be held captive and swayed by the ruling elite, the business class or supporters.

County governments will first and foremost have to think like and be run like a business. The main drivers will have to be the commerce and industry and the utilisation of human and natural resources to generate capital and revenue to manage their affairs.

I personally believe that if counties are left to operate and run their affairs independently and they do a good job of it, faster economic growth and development will be achievable within a short time.

The county government also presents an opportunity to tap into the huge potential of the hitherto marginalised areas of our country that have not received due recognition in terms of economic development.

Vicious cycle

They could further develop sectors like tourism, energy, mining, farming and cottage industries to generate wealth for our people and break the vicious cycle of poverty.

I am a firm believer in devolution. It can only serve to improve the welfare of our people, but only if the system is well implemented and, most importantly, the electorate puts the right people in office.

We have some of the best brains in the world but political machinations prevent good people from coming forward to offer themselves for public service.

Kenyans must attract and retain the best personnel for the job of governance in the counties. We must reform our politics. We cannot afford to elect county governors the way we do the rest of our political class.

County governments will have to build sustainable revenue streams to raise funds to finance their budgets.

A lot of compromises and protracted negotiations will have, of necessity, to take place to accommodate the concerns of the business community, while at the same time ensuring the tax burden is not too punitive or burdensome. County governments will be best managed by people with experience in business.

Supervisory role

The central government is expected to cede certain aspects of taxation and channel responsibility for collecting these to the counties in order to make them stable and functional.

I believe the central government should play a largely supervisory role in the distribution and management of some of the resources that will be controlled by county governments.

While the fiscal policy and financial guidelines will emanate from the central government to ensure accountability and transparency, this process could be implemented in phases until the county governments are able to demonstrate that they can run on their own without guidance or supervision from Nairobi.

The writer is a businessman and chairman of the MJ Group.