Leaders of the Frontier Counties Development Council are working on a law to anchor the regional bloc.
They met on Tuesday in Lodwar, Turkana county, to review a bill which once passed by county assemblies will make the regional entity legal and guide its operations.
Mandera Governor Ali Roba who chairs the FCDC and his Turkana counterpart Josphat Nanok led speakers, MCAs, county executives and other stakeholders in discussing the proposed law.
The FCDC comprises the 10 counties of Lamu, Tana River, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Turkana, Samburu and West Pokot.
"The FCDC is the only forum where the affairs of counties in the ASALs are addressed and our aim is to have an Act that will protect and anchor the entity in law even after the exit of the pioneer governors and the current crop of leaders," said Governor Roba.
He said there was a lot of interest from the donor community to support the council in development.
Because of the huge economic potential of ASAL counties which have vast land and minerals, the region should strategically position itself to profit from investments in oil, renewable energy and other resources, Roba said.
Governor Nanok urged county assemblies to prioritise passage of the bill before the end of the year.
He underlined the importance of the assemblies in the FCDC and encouraged better relationships between the executive and legislative arms to support development.
He assured that he would ensure Turkana led by example and highlighted how disagreements over budgetary allocation were resolved through consensus.
Nanok called on the assemblies to develop legislation which would protect communities' right to land and other natural resources, which he insisted will ensure counties in the ASAL were not overlooked in investment on resources found on their land.
