5th Devolution Conference won’t be talk shop, says Governor Oparanya

Q: There is a growing perception that devolution conferences are fast becoming talk shops for counties. What is different with this year’s conference?

This is the first time we have a devolution conference which senators have not boycotted. Members of county assemblies (MCAs) will also be joining us. It is going to be the biggest devolution conference so far, with 6,000 invited delegates. We are expecting to host about 20,000 people in Kakamega.

It is also the conference held under the most harmonious political environment in the country. After the handshake (between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga), elected leaders are now free to engage one another without fear of victimisation. That is why, besides hosting the President and his deputy, William Ruto, the former prime minister will also address delegates.

Q: Some delegates have booked accommodation as far as 50 kilometres away, whereas some governors are booked in Kisumu. Was Kakamega prepared to host the conference?

We have secured the venues with 700 security officers from the national government in addition to the ones we have.

We have also trained our 600 county enforcers to ensure delegates are safe. Hotels have formed a consortium to serve the delegates. We also brought in hospitality experts from Utalii College to train our local food vendors and hoteliers to ensure that we have the best service.

The town has been cleaned and hotels have been repainted. It is a good thing that neighbouring counties and towns are benefiting from this event. We have a dedicated a vehicle to take delegates around the county to see what we have done. We are ready to host the President, his deputy, and the former prime minister. I have set up a 24-hour alert system for anything that needs my attention.

Q: What has Kakamega got to show for the billions it has received under devolution?

We have injected over Sh2 billion in Kakamega town to make it what it is today. Most roads around the town were impassable when I took over. Streetlights were not working. But if you walk around today you will see the transformation. We even fixed the road to Kakamega High School, which is hosting the conference, and expanded its facilities. We have done a lot in healthcare, agriculture, and education.

Q: After forming the Lake Region economic bloc, what next?

The immediate plan for me as the first chairman of the bloc is to bring on board the political caucus of the county assemblies. MCAs need to understand what the county executives are doing. We are doing so by having them adopt a legal framework that shows how we are going to operate.

I have organised a meeting in May to meet all the county assembly leaderships from the 14 counties to discuss the issue. Secondly, I will also engage development partners and present our economic roadmap for this region.

We have 14 million people in these member counties. We are going to identify one flagship project in each of the counties. The Ford Foundation is helping us do this.

Q: What should we expect at this conference?

The highlight will be the launch of two programmes by the President. One of them will be the World Bank-funded programme for urbanisation. Former municipal councils received the bank’s support to help them to modernise.

All towns except Nairobi and Mombasa are beneficiaries. For instance, Kakamega expects to receive about Sh400 million to be pumped into Mumias and Kakamega towns. The plan is in line with vision 2030.

We are also focusing on the Big Four agenda. However, there is still no financial linkages in health and agriculture with the national government despite these being devolved functions.

Q: Counties keep complaining about resources, yet when they are given money, they do not spend it. Why do counties keep budgeting billions if they cannot spend them?

Before you do any procurement, you must have money. Procurement is done on the basis of the availability of money and this is what the law says. Because of the uneven flow of funds, it becomes a problem to follow the procurement plan. We have raised this matter many times before with the national government.

There is a big mismatch and because of this, we see counties struggling to spend. So long as the money flow is not sorted out, absorption rates will continue to be an issue. We will also never be able to deal with the headache of pending bills.

Q: What are the other challenges that will come up at the conference?

Counties have had a cash crunch because of suspicions between the national and the county governments. Last year, we were not given money because someone in Nairobi thought we would fund the Opposition.

The national government should also stop competing with counties. There are so many election-related projects in the county that are now white elephants.

Q: The revival of Mumias Sugar Company is one of the most important concerns in the region. It is on its knees. Logging remains rampant in Kakamega Forest. Now Golf Hotel, which is partially owned by the county, is struggling and is now up for sale, yet there is no five star hotel in the region. What is the county doing?

The national government has not allowed me to move near Mumias. When I tried I was fought so hard I had to take a step back.

I am also not allowed to touch Kakamega Forest despite the massive logging. I am now considering using mobs to try stopping them.

Golf Hotel is owned 20 per cent by the county government, but we are in the dark on its sale.