The Standard ­ Wednesday
Date: 22.04.2015
Page 21
Article size: 242 cm2
ColumnCM: 53.77
AVE: 129066.66
Players take
one stand
Government, Opposition
and envoys agree that
cevolution is working and
can only get better
By MOSES NJAGIH
The country's leadership was
ALL CYLINDERS
uldited at the second conference
He said the players in the system
nuant to take stock of the imple­ mist not let expectant Kenyans
nlipntation of devolution, which has dt­vn as many were placing their
n a source of conflict between the h) pes of a successful and developed
ional and county governments. ciuntry in devofoliun.
Devolution stakeholders were
CORD leader Raila Odinga, who
ur animous yesterday, the first day of hife been leading the campaign for
th : three­day forum hosted by Kisu­ nr.ire funds to die counties and
m i County, that the new concept of wl ose coalition is sponsoring a ref­
decentralising power and resources eiindum bill to ensure the same,
lo countyr governments must work
eii­tmeratedthe successes ofdevolu­
tfon even as he cautioned that more
fo ' the benefit of Kenyans,
They were In agreement that the el f arts need to be made to ensure the
system was working, albeit facing s)i tern served Kenyans.
mtnerous challenges, which they
county ­ must be in constant com­
munication to address the challeng­
es the system faces.
Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro said
Parliament would continue playing
its constitutional role of protecting
counties and county governments,
saying failure was not an option in
rolling out devolution.
US ambassador Robert Godec,
who spoke on behalf of foreign mis­
sions in the country, said his country
had struggled for 240 years to over­
come the challenges of devolution.
"We are now looking at an econ­
President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose omy that is firing on all cylinders.
vi wed to overcome.
a frninistration has come under at­ The transformation being noted in
t_i:k from both governors and ihe many counties in the areas of educa­
Opposition Coalition for Reforms tion, health, agriculture, roads and
aid democracy (CORD) as being an general development must not be
ir i pediment to devolution, led other frustrated," he said,
p i tyers in solemnly promising Ken­
y i is that they would make it work.
"I want to reassure everyone that
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
But the former Prime Minister al­
n 11 commitment and that of my Gov­ so cautioned over high level corrup­
e . lment to the success of devolution
is ibsolute. We will not waver, hesi­
ti i e or flinch when it comes to deliv­
tion noted in the devolved units,
which he said must be stemmed.
He reiterated the need for nation­
er ng it to our people," the President al dialogue to discuss, among other
things, issues of resource allocation,
which he said must be handled in a
bi­partisan manner.
Outgoing Council of Governors
chairman Isaac Ruto said the two
tiers of government ­ national and
President Uhuru
Kenyatta admi­
res a soapstone
carving presen­
ted to him by Ki­
sii Governor
James Ongwae
on behalf of the
Council of Gover­
nors on the first
day of the second
annual devoluti­
on conference in
Kisumu yester­
day. (PHOTO: DE­
NfSH OCHIENG/STAN­
DARD]
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya