In an effort to secure his legacy after retirement, President Uhuru Kenyatta has commissioned a one-of-a-kind government body titled the County Peer Review Mechanism (CPRM).
In a statement to newsrooms on Monday, July 4, State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena Mararo noted that CPRM had been tasked with steering county peer reviews.
Members of the mechanism include anti-corruption boss Eliud Wabukala and former Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor Olive Mugenda.
Other members are Amb. Rukia Ahmed Subow, Dr. John Kakonge, Dr. Josephine Kulea, Dr. Wanjiru Kamau, Dr. Hassan Bashir, Pete Ondeng and Salesa Adano Abudo.
The members, who volunteered to take up the positions, will run the board for a period of three years.
The role of the Panel of Eminent Persons for the County Peer Review Mechanism will be to ensure the reviews are objective, effective and credible.
"The Eminent Personalities will be charged with the responsibility of discussing with individual governors the findings arising from the peer reviews and how they will be implemented for the benefit of local citizens as well as the good of the country.
"The County Peer Review Mechanism, modelled on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), will culminate in a national summit of the CPRM where governors will peer-review each other while the Presidency will be an observer as an interested party," the statement read in part.
The team was unveiled at State House in an event presided over by the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua on behalf of the Head of State.
The CPRM initiative is a multi-agency effort involving more than 20 state agencies, constitutional commissions and independent offices under the coordination of the NEPAD/APRM Kenya Secretariat in partnership with the Council of Governors (CoG).
The project is one of President Kenyatta’s legacy projects as he exits the house on the hill after the upcoming August 9 General Election.
"The initiative grants citizens opportunities to have a democratic dialogue with their leaders and mutually agree on commitments to be prioritized for implementation.
"Besides enhancing public participation in governance and development, the CPRM reports will also be useful as oversight instruments for Members of County Assemblies and the houses of Parliament," the statement added.
Kenya is the first member state of the 42 members-strong APRM to voluntarily cascade the principles of governance to sub-national levels through actual peer reviews pitched at the level of governors.
