Chiefs must be a stabilising factor

One of the institutions that will come under intense scrutiny during this election year is the provincial administration.

More than 50 years after independence, there are still queues outside chiefs' offices, an indication that the provincial administration remains relevant in the lives of Kenyans.

If county commissioners and chiefs can demonstrate independence and maturity, without taking sides, it will go along way in cooling political temperatures.

Administrators who have become sycophants or the mouthpiece of politicians are doing this system of government a disservice by lowering its standing in the eyes of the public.