President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked governors to cooperate with the national government to deliver growth on the platform of his Big Four Agenda.
The President used the 6th session of the National and County Governments Co-ordinating Summit, to lay out the role of governors in the Big Four development initiative, especially in harnessing strengths of the two levels of government.
The President said the realisation of the Big Four agenda is easier when it is done together by the National and County governments, and talked on how this could be done with his targeted delivery of 500,000 new homes within the next five years.
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The President also spoke strongly of the need for prudent use of public resources, telling governors to shun wastage.
“It is our joint responsibility as the Executive to ensure the resources given to us are used responsibly. To ensure that there is no leakage of this resources,” said the President when he addressed the meeting held at State House, Nairobi.
The President also told governors corruption is eating into the fabric of the Kenyan society and there was need for the governors to support the national government in curbing then vice.
The forum, whose theme is ‘working together towards realisation of the big four’ was attended by Deputy President William Ruto, Governors, Cabinet Secretaries as well as other senior Government officials including Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki. The meeting also attended by Leaders of Majority Aden Duale (National Assembly) and Kipchumba Murkomen (Senate).
President Uhuru said devolution has become a tool for national unity through which Kenyans have experienced improved access of services.
He said devolution has become a tool for achieving the ‘one Kenya one people’ agenda.
Besides housing and health, the other key priority initiatives under the Big Four agenda incude enhancing manufacturing and food security.
During the meeting, the President and other leaders also discussed a report prepared by the InterGovernmental Technical Relations Committee (OGTRC) whose recommendations including initiatives to enhance capacity at public broadcaster KBC.
The recommendations presented by the IGTRC Chairman Prof Karega Mutahi included proposals on having KBC open branches in every county to make it easy for county governments to communicate with the public and advertise.
The President said harmony between the National and County governments will immensely benefit the country.
He said unity of purpose between the two levels of government will depend on among other things the streamlining of inter-governmental relationships to a level beyond merely debating matters of resource allocation.
“Our framework for cooperation and coordination needs to be strengthened and lifted above partisan and transactional engagements, to focus more on the strategic issues of development that matter most to our people,” said the President.
He also said the intergovernmental relations needs to be cushioned from political dynamics.
“Left unchecked, our political intrigues can grow into a big tree under whose shade nothing can take root. We must all agree there will be a season for politics, but that season is not with us now. It is now time to work to create wealth and prosperity for our people,” said the President.
The President added that the two levels of government must aspire towards strategic alignment of national development goals.
He said it is necessary to align all agenda by county governments with the national blue print, Vision 2030.
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