Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o on Wednesday, April 23, voiced his disagreement with a proposal by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang to slash the number of counties to 13 from the current 47.
Through a statement, Nyong’o described Kajwang’s proposal as “a knee-jerk reaction of an accountant mesmerised by the game of easy calculation of figures.”
Nyong’o averred that the process of coming up with the current number of counties was well thought out, and any changes would require comprehensive consultations spanning several critical stakeholders.
“At the dawn of devolution, there were several proposals regarding how many counties were needed and appropriate for this nation. These reasons need to be considered before throwing numbers into the vague marketplace of proposals,” Nyong’o stated.
Consequently, he urged the senator to engage extensively with the relevant parties and come up with a serious discussion so as to add flesh to his bold proposal.
“I suggest that Kajwang’ should call for a serious discussion involving diverse representatives from different schools of thought so that this issue can be deliberated upon seriously and resolved in a manner that will benefit the nation,” he expressed.
Even so, the governor pledged support for devolution, which has recently been a hot topic. This is over the ongoing dispute between the county governments, Parliament and the Executive over control of critical funds meant for development.
“In the meantime, I submit that I fully accept the present structure of devolution. Let us evaluate it, establish what has been achieved, and identify what we could have accomplished after acknowledging some of the shortcomings we might have overlooked,” Nyong’o stated.
Nyong’o’s comments follow his outburst on Tuesday, April 22, where he hit out at President William Ruto, where he accused him of sabotaging devolution.
In a hard-hitting letter, the governor referenced the ongoing dispute between county government and the national government over the management of the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which the president insists should be moved to the national government's control.
Nyong'o, in his statement, dismissed President Ruto's justification for the continued operation of national roads agencies like the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERA), saying they undermine the spirit of devolution.
Members of Parliament and the Council of Governors (CoG) have had a long-standing feud over the control of the RMLF, with tensions escalating in March after governors refused to withdraw a court case against MPs regarding the management of the fund.
In that regard, on Sunday, at an Easter Sunday service at Ntulele, Narok County, the president hinted at taking up the issue of road maintenance, insisting that leaving it to the national government would end the overlapping responsibilities and ensure effective management of resources.
