The County Assemblies Forum wants regional blocs to be entrenched in the Constitution and funded by the exchequer instead of creating regional governments.
MCAs and speakers of county assemblies drawn from Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia and Vihiga counties, under the auspices of the CAF Western cluster, opposed calls for the establishment of regional governments. They instead want wards to be made primary development units to strengthen devolution.
"The Senate should enact a law ensuring that the ward is made the primary unit of allocating development funds for the county and that it further be secured in the Building Bridges Initiative," the communiqué released after the meeting read.
The BBI report is currently undergoing a validation process before implementation. The BBI task force is collecting views from institutions and other groupings.
The forum also wants the shareable revenue to county governments proposed in the BBI report raised from 35 per cent to at least 45 per cent and funds to follow devolved functions on prorate basis.
These resolutions are among those raised during the inaugural CAF Western cluster meeting held at the Golf Hotel in Kakamega on Monday.
The forum also said the BBI should insulate county assemblies’ budgets from arbitrary or politically motivated interference by the county executive to kill oversight role of the assemblies.
They want this entrenched in law and clear sanctions for lack of adherence provided for to ensure strict adherence.
The meeting also resolved to push for full financial autonomy of the county assemblies without reliance on the Executive.
“This is the only way we can ensure the constitutionally provided mandate of oversight by MCAs is effective. We recommend a comprehensive scientific costing of devolved and national functions and that devolved functions be followed by funds on a pro-rata basis from the shareable national revenue,” the resolutions read.
As proposed in the BBI report that Cabinet ministers be appointed from among elected MPs, the CAF also wants county executive committee members to be appointed from among sitting MCAs. They further want the benefits of the members of the national assembly to cascade to MCAs.
The forum also wants BBI to entrench CAF in the Intergovernmental Relations Act with express representations in the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) and the National Summit. They argue that entrenching the forum into the law will allow it to access funding from the exchequer.
CAF is currently registered under the Societies Act and not recognised anywhere under the devolution statutes.
Edited by R.Wamochie
