County bosses, anti-graft agency agree on regularising appointments

From left: Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki, Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Chairman of the Council of Governors Josphat Nanok (Center), Marsabit Governor Mohammud Ali and Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya address a press conference at Delta corner house in Westlands Nairobi on 23rd January 2018 after they held a consultative meeting ahead of summit meeting. [PHOTO: Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

County governors and the anti-graft agency have struck a deal to save county executive teams from being dissolved.

This follows a memo that the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) last week sent to 40 county bosses, warning them that they had flouted the leadership and integrity provisions by picking county cabinets and chief officers before vetting by the commission.

The County Executive Committee (CEC) members and other senior officers were facing the sack if they were they are found not to have complied with financial, corruption, criminal and tax requirements.

Consultative meeting

Council of Governors (CoG) on Tuesday held a consultative meeting to discuss the matter and other pertinent issues affecting devolution.

“COG and EACC have had engagements on this issue raised in the media recently on the non-compliance by county executives in filing the self-declaration forms, and has agreed on modalities of engaging on the same moving forward,” said the governors through their chairman, Josphat Nanok.

During the meeting, the governors also announced that they had received cash to fund health care.

Nanok, who is also the Turkana governor, announced that the council had received Sh1.5 billion from the World Bank multi-donor trust fund.

“The money will be used for basic healthcare services in regions that have low coverage of the services. This partnership will provide demand-driven support for strengthening health systems in various county governments,” Nanok said. 

Borrowing framework

Noting that lack of revenue had hindered service delivery, the county chiefs resolved to urgently work with the national government to to fast-track the finalisation of a short-term borrowing framework to ensure that essential services are not delayed.

“County governments have for the past four years been hard-pressed to deliver on their functions due to slow disbursement of funds, and lack of a borrowing framework has affected our performance,” Nanok said.

The governors said personnel emoluments and statutory deductions were the most affected.

“We appeal to the National Treasury to allow county governments access short-term loans from commercial banks as we look for ways to finalise on the specific guidelines. These loans are liquidated within a 12-month period,” said the county bosses.

They called on the national government to transfer all functions given to the counties by the Constitution.

“We need to engage with the national government to have closure on this issue. There is need for transfer of some functions whose allocation and performance are still being carried at the national level. Some of them are regional development authorities, libraries and the roads,” Nanok said.

The governors supported the County Pension Bill 2017 and directed the council to appoint the board of the trustees of the scheme.

The county bosses said they had partnered with the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) and its partners to rehabilitate abattoirs and provide reliable domestic and international market for livestock products.

“The domestic trade market is characterised by acute shortage of agricultural wholesale market with no modern facilities, weak supply chain management, lack of market information and manipulation by brokers and middlemen,” they said.

The governors also announced that they had partnered with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Co-operatives to modernise wholesale markets and develop a national commodity exchange.

Product diversification

“This will ensure diversification of products and markets, provide timely market information, import substitution for locally available commodities, value addition and branding of county products. This will ensure vibrant and reliable supply chains and access for county products in domestic, regional and international markets,” they said.

The meeting was the first after the election of the new CoG in Kwale County last year.

It was also attended by representatives from the State Department of Trade, Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), World Bank, Brand Kenya and the County Pension Fund (CPF).