Meru County forms outfit to woo investors

FROM LEFT: Former Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura, Comcraft Group Chairman Manu Chandaria, Governor Peter Munya and Maore Stephen during the launch of Meru County Investment Corporation in Nairobi Thursday. [PHOTO: WILLIS AWANDU/STANDARD]

NAIROBI: The Meru county government has formed a corporation as it seeks to attract more investors.

Speaking during the launch of the Meru County Investment Corporation in Nairobi Thursday, Governor Peter Munya said their previous efforts to attract investment failed due to lack of proper structures.

"Weak structures from the local authorities created unaccountability and therefore it was hard for us to get investment," he said.

Munya, who is the Chairman of the Council of Governors (CoG), said they are also formulating policies to create opportunities for investment in agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and energy sectors.

"We are focusing on value addition in agriculture, doubling infrastructure and in promoting tourism. Through the corporation, investors will be able to access such opportunities," he said.

Munya said his administration was also working closely with the private sector to mobilise resources to accelerate development.

Manu Chandaria, who was the chief guest at the event, said most parts of the country remained underdeveloped due to lack of proper packaging of investment opportunities in the areas.

"When planning to attract investors, state what the investment opportunity is, how much its worth and how the investor will benefit," he said.

Chandaria also called for enactment of laws that can promote a conducive climate for doing business.

MEAGER ALLOCATION

Meanwhile, governors are now accusing trade unions representing health workers of pushing for the reverting of health functions to national government.

The governors said the campaign to have the national government take over the health function was not in the interest of their union members and Kenyans.

Munya further claimed that there was a deliberate move by the national government to frustrate the devolving of health services, saying the meagre allocation to the sector in the 2015-2016 Budget was meant to set up counties for failure.

In an interview with The Standard, Munya insisted that many of the devolved units had enhanced provision of health services at the grassroots and taking away the function from them would only roll back the gains.

"The push that health services should revert to national government does not make sense. We know it is being pushed by unions who are feeling unsettled and fighting for their interests on one hand, and on the other, by some officials in national government," said Munya.

He continued: "That is why the national government is allocating scanty resources so that counties can be portrayed as having failed run these services," he added.

However, the CoG chair told those lobbying for the take over of the health services by national government that they will have first to face Kenyans in a referendum.

"It is not something that will be done through a simple legislation. Once a function is transferred, it can only revert after a referendum," he said.

On the contentious medical equipment leasing, Munya said most governors would have preferred to purchase rather than hire them.

"We only agreed to sign the agreement on the leasing because we did not want to bear the blame that we were against better medical services for our people. There are still very many answers that we are seeking about this deal from the national government," he said.