Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o has said devolution under President William Ruto’s led administration is under threat and must be defended at all costs.
Nyong’o noted that they can't serve the people at the grassroots if the current threat to devolution mounted by the National Government is not fought.
The governor noted that the involvement of the national government in road projects which should be undertaken by counties is a drawback to the spirit of devolution.
"We don't understand several years after devolution why institutions such as Kenya Rural Roads Authority, Kenya Urban Roads Authority are coming to Kisumu to build the roads is completely contrary to the spirit of devolution," he said.
He added that this is one of the ways by which they claw back functions of devolution by still centralising such functions.
The governor was speaking on Monday during a three-day consultative meeting bringing together all the City/Municipal Managers to discuss among other issues how to build thriving cities and municipalities in Kenya as well as addressing emerging issues in governance and management.
According to Nyong’o, the meeting presents an excellent opportunity to address critical emerging issues in the urban sector including a review of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, 2011, a deep dive into the Affordable Housing Act and the role of City/Municipal Boards in the implementation of housing Agenda.
Others are leveraging on programmes such as the Kenya Urban Support Programme, the E.U.-FAO Digital Land Governance Programme, and the Kenya Devolution Support Program to strengthen Governance of the Urban Areas; and engaging in peer-to-peer learning and best practices from Kisumu County's initiatives.
Nyong’o noted that building thriving cities and urban areas requires collaboration with all the stakeholders.
"Partnerships across sectors, public, private, and civil society—are essential and we must leverage technology, embrace innovation, and demonstrate bold leadership for long-term success."
He added that through shared experiences and collaboration, they can find innovative solutions and build a brighter future for all Kenyans".
