Governors from Nyanza region are planning to push for joint management with the national government of minerals in their counties by supporting the Okoa Kenya initiative.
If the bill is passed and voted for in a referendum, county governments will have a say in the management of natural resources and also have the community benefit directly from the revenue generated by the minerals.
The draft bill proposed amendment to article 71 to clarify roles of the different levels of government in management of natural resources where it enshrines the rights of communities from where the resources are extracted to share income.
The clause anticipates pieces of legislation to guide involvement of county governments and the development of a community management framework for the better management of natural resources by the two levels of government.
The county bosses who spoke separately to this writer, said the move will help them generate income and also undertake many development projects in their regions.
The natural resource management is under the national government mandate, but if the Okoa Kenya referendum bill sails through and it is voted for, counties will have a share of the revenues collected from the natural resources which include minerals.
Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti gave an example of his county which he claimed had the lake and other minerals, same to the neighbouring Migori, which is rich in gold.
“We are well endowed with minerals, but there is little impact on the lives of our people, hence the proposal is very timely,” said Awiti.
Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma said Okoa Kenya is good for all the 47 counties owing to the good things it was bringing on the table for the devolved units.
Ranguma said the counties should be involved where the wealth that goes to the national government is created.
“It is only by involving counties in the management of resources within their regions that they can benefit to some extent through revenue,” said Ranguma.
He stated that the cost of running government is expensive both at the national and county level, but stated that it can be controlled at the devolved units level.
He attributed this to the replication of the government structures in counties stressing on the presence of provincial administration which he claimed was still an obstacle to many issues in the counties.
He, however, stated that all these could be solved through consultations between the two levels of government.