Governors in Kenya have resolved to work hand in hand with their deputies saying they will continue to support their deputies in areas that need improvement.
In a statement read on behalf of the Council of Governors by Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua during the official opening of the Second Deputy Governors' Leadership conference at Enishapai Resort and Spa in Naivasha Thursday, the governors have also urged their deputies embrace dialogue in cases where they are in conflict with their bosses instead of discussing the issue in public and through the media.
According to the CoG, governors and their deputies are a team and the relationship between the two should be based on openness in communication.
"It is imperative to remember that governors and their deputies are a team and were elected as a team. In a team, members work towards achieving the same goal. The Council of Governors reaffirms its resolve to work closely with the deputies as a team. The spirit of working together should have started at campaign time and the relationship between the two leaders should be based on openness in communication. This must be nurtured and the Council of Governors will continue to support DGs and work on areas that need improvement in order to bring harmony. We urge that where there are disputes, we make consented efforts to use dialogue instead of public and media to discuss our differences,’ read part of the statement.
On leadership in the counties, the governors' council reiterated the importance of tackling issues that hinder development and service delivery, with an open minded approach adding improper management of leadership may lead to a setback in the gains of devolution.
"As we deliberate over leadership issues in our counties, we all need to be very open minded and pragmatic in our approach to tackling those issues that are hindering development and service delivery. It is only with good leadership that we will deliver the devolution promise to the citizens of Kenya. On the contrary, if leadership is not well managed in the counties, it can lead to a major setback to the gains of devolution and a recipe for chaos, especially as we head towards the next elections, we have to deliver as a team. We must not allow divisions but speak with one voice,’ added part of the statement.
In the statement, the council of governors also pointed out some of the challenges facing the realisation of devolution such as the perpetual delay of transfer of funds from the national government to the county governments and visible disharmony in the management of counties which has been seen in some counties where the governors and their deputies have been seen to differ openly.
However, they have also outlined some of the gains that have been achieved in the county governments since they were instituted such as functional budgets and implementation of various projects which are in line with the County Integrated Development Plans.
Deputy President William Ruto officially opened the conference.