The Kwale Council of Elders has clashed with politicians in the county over the Building Bridges Initiative report.
The elders said the report does not address the long-standing land injustices at the Coast and thus they will not support it.
“We only see politicians trying to use the document to remain in power. They do not care about the wellbeing of the elders in Kwale, Kilifi Mombasa or any other part of the Coast region,” council chair Suleiman Yeya said.
Yeya said the time had come for Coast politicians to stand up for residents.
However, Governor Salim Mvurya said the report is progressive because it supports devolution by proposing increased allocation.
Mvurya said counties have had a rough time implementing beneficial projects due to inadequacy of funds.
“It is leeway for counties because since the inception of devolution, many county governments were limited to programme execution and the major challenge was insufficient money," Mvurya said.
He said the BBI champions for women leadership as it opens up more opportunities hence promoting equality in all functions of government.
The BBI content was last week publicly unveiled at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi by both President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Mvurya said the long battle against corruption is almost over "as the report has well covered it".
"Soon there will be sanity in all public and private sectors in the sense that all aspects of dishonesty will be addressed using affirmative stern action," he said.
Kwale Woman Representative Zuleikha Hassan said the report will aid the devolved government to fully exercise its mandate.
She said the initiative seeks to correct sections of the Constitution that do not effectively favour ordinary citizens.
Hassan, however, wants the initiative to be voted by the public and not discussed in Parliament.
Edited by R.Wamochie
