THE constitution should be amended to give counties clout in national security, governors said yesterday.
In a conference convened by the Council of Governors in Nairobi, they urged Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery to include them in fighting terrorism and cattle-rustling.
“In other devolved systems such as Canada, India and USA, the collaboration between the two levels of government is fundamental in maintaining security,” council chairman Isaac Rutto said.
Security Committee chairman Hussein Dado said governors are more in touch with county residents.
“When villagers are distressed on the borders of, say, Turkana and Baringo, they make calls to the governor for assistance,” he said.
Rutto said the county governments are not seeking to usurp the role of the national government.
“It is not that we want to have 47 county commanders,” he said.
The governors got the backing of the Senate.
Senate Security Committee chairman Yusuf Haji said governors cannot be ignored.
“We cannot say governors are politicians and therefore cannot be in charge of security,” he said.
“Even the president is a politician and he is the Commander-in-Chief.”
Nkaissery said he will petition President Uhuru Kenyatta to give governors representation in the National Security Committee.
“There is no major conflict between the two levels of governments in this matter,” he said.
“Already, the County Policing Authority is chaired by the governor. The governor is therefore not left out,” he said.
Nkaissery said chiefs and their assistants will be given motorcycles for easy mobility.
He said cattle rustling will be upgraded to robbery with violence, a hanging offence.
