Transition Authority vacates office despite intense lobbying

Nairobi, Kenya: The Transition Authority (TA) vacates office Friday despite intense lobbying for extension of its mandate over pending roles.

On Thursday, the authority handed over its residual functions to the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IRTC) which will now oversee the transition to the devolved system of governance.

There has been a back and forth lobbying to allow the Kinuthia Wamwangi-led team to continue staying in office to complete some of its activities.

Additionally, there has been discussions on the whereabouts of public property running into billions of shillings that still remain unknown since the authority was yet to audit assets and liabilities in the defunct municipal councils.

But Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri when presiding over the handing over ceremony said crucial roles had been completed by the authority whose three-year tenure is ending today.

However, the CS said there were a number of pending activities which were assigned to the authority.

"Parliament envisaged such a situation. It is for this reason that they provided the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee to take over the residual functions," Kiunjuri said.

He noted that the authority had done a commendable work in fulfilling its mandate of mid-wifing the transition to the devolved system of government.

Early this year, Mr Kiunjuri had proposed a one-year extension following request by the team but was turned down by both the Senate and the National Assembly. Senate initially supported the calls but later made an about-turn decision.

Mr Wamwangi had warned that gaps in the law might lead to loss of public assets since it would be difficult to secure them.

But yesterday, he said it the authority was created through an Act of Parliament that made it clear that they would serve for three years.

He however cited time limit as one of the main challenges the team faced during their tenure in office.

"We are leaving office through the same Act that brought us to office. So we want to leave celebrating some of our achievements," he said.

He said the team is leaving office with no "feelings" despite the many hurdles it faced, including "impunity" by those in power.

The team has been at loggerheads with the Council of Governors which has always accused them of inability to transfer roles from the national to county governments.

And to avoid such conflict, the IRTC said it will employ a multi-agency approach in implementing the remaining functions.

"One main agenda would be to embark on implementing the residual functions and also add value to what the Transition Authority has done," said IRTC Vice-Chairperson Allyce Kureiya Esintele.

She went on: "We will adopt a multi-agency approach and promote consultation between the national and county governments."

Some of the pending roles which the committee is expected to implement include assets and liabilities auditing and transfer, rationalisation of human interest resource between the two levels of governments, establishment of counties pensions and declaration of county governments as public service.

Kiunjuri said TA's secretariat will remain in office for one month to help the new team with human resource and technical support.

The CS further said they will write to the Attorney General to provide legal framework for the committee's operations.

TA had powers to sue and also to be sued which the incoming committee does not have.

He said it would be difficult for the new team to carry its mandate without such powers since TA would hand over some of the pending cases in court pitting the authority against some stakeholders.