• The two levels of government and governors will hold monthly meetings to assess progress of key projects
• President Uhuru urged to fight corruption to move stalled government projects
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
Governors and the national government have agreed to be holding monthly meetings to assess the progress of the implementation of key projects.
The National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee chaired by Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and the Council of Governors held a closed door meeting at Safari Park Hotel yesterday to discuss projects in counties.
“We have agreed to have a monthly consultative meeting so that we track all these projects and the implementation of the same to ensure we do not lose out on time and we do not waste resources,” Matiang’i said.
“Where county government requires the national government to do certain things including re-looking at policy work, we are able to do that.”
Matiang’i said there were about 199 projects which had been resourced but had stalled because the two levels of government could not agree on the way forward.
“Counties are interested with a particular direction and we have had an opportunity to sit with counties and discuss solutions so that the projects can move forward,” he said.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said that counties were facing problems when interacting with the national government.
“Our main focus was the Big Four agenda. Most of the agendas are devolved functions and we have agreed how we are going to engage and interact so that they are a success,” said Oparanya, who is also the CoG chair.
Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to use the resources seized from corrupt individuals to push his Big Four agenda.
He complained that corruption at the national government was negatively affecting implementation of projects that are meant to directly help the common citizen.
Mutua said that to move pending government projects, the President has to deal with corruption. He commended the Court of Appeal ruling that one does not have to be charged or convicted with corruption for the state to reclaim wealth illegally obtained.
“The President has no excuse now, the court has given him powers now. If these people have wealth they cannot explain, now he has the power to confiscate and use that money to continue with the Big Four agenda,” he said.
Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia said the government should focus on high impact projects instead of high capital projects.
“We should focus on projects that are impactful to the youth by creating jobs and creating wealth. If we don’t do this, we will not achieve anything,” he said.
The committee is deputised by Treasury CS, Henry Rotich, and includes all Cabinet secretaries, the Attorney General and the head of public services as the members.