- The three-year programme is dubbed, ‘Timiza Ugatuzi’.
- The programme will start in September, immediately after the August 9 general election.
Image: COURTESY
The Mombasa County Assembly is one of the seven counties to receive UK funding to support devolution.
The Westminster Foundation Democracy, a non-departmental public body supported by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is supporting the counties’ capacity to carry out more effective oversight of Public Expenditure Management processes.
This includes improving planning, budgeting and scrutiny of public expenditure through audits and committee oversight.
The three-year programme is dubbed, ‘Timiza Ugatuzi’.
The programme, which will ensure that the UK development portfolio is better aligned with county priorities, will run in seven counties before it is introduced to the other 40.
Mombasa, Kilifi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Mandera, Kisumu, Isiolo and Turkana counties were selected on criteria of strategic importance, poverty, progressiveness, learning and regional balance.
The programme also aims at providing solutions to some specific challenges facing devolution in Kenya and supporting and strengthening multiparty democracies by working closely with elected representatives, both in Parliament and county assemblies.
Mombasa county deputy speaker Fadhili Makarani said that the programme, which entails training of the MCAs, will help to enhance the capacities of the assembly.
“The main purpose of this programme is to train the MCAs and help us to identify the gaps that need to be filled. It will help us audit projects since the start of devolution,” Makarani said.
The programme will start in September, immediately after the August 9 general election.
“By that time we expect a new crop of leaders who do not know anything on legislation. They will be trained and also taken to Parliament to learn how things are done,” the speaker added.
On Tuesday, the WFD officials held a meeting with Mombasa MCAs.
The WFD officials, Elija Ambasa and Henry Odhiambo introduced the Timiza Ugatuzi project.
They also conducted a capacity assessment gap targeting the committees on public accounts, finance, budget and appropriations and the committee on implementation to lay groundwork for strengthened collaboration with county assemblies.
This will help to provide international expertise in a range of thematic areas, including research and capacity building training for both national and county legislative institutions.
The WDF officials said that the programme will contribute to improving development results at county level which means more effective, open and accountable county government and improved service delivery and poverty reduction.
They further said the programme is expected to enhance the Inter-Governmental Relations that support devolution and bring effective county planning, public finance management and staffing.
Through the three-year project, counties and citizens will engage to improve service delivery and livelihoods.
(edited by Amol Awuor)