(Kennedy Mong'are Okong'o was the first Nyamira Senator. He is also the National Liberal Party leader)
The ongoing sixth Devolution Conference in Kirinyaga County falls short of its required expectations and outcome six years on.
The conference in the Anne Waiguru led county which brings under one roof all the 47 counties to showcase how the devolved units have progressed in socio-economic development should be accompanied by properly modelled outcomes other than repetitive messages and programs.
Secondly, it sends signals of wastage of taxpayers’ money. For instance, why should we have a governor and a deputy governor attending the same conference six years in a row?
Why should we have the whole county assembly attend such a conference? This is a big shame and a joke!
The expectation in other jurisdictions is that the only attendees should be the chairpersons of House committees and one or two members of the same committee.
One will expect investors to be in great numbers in a well-crafted system.
However, the sad reality is that some things showcased could at best be quantified as mediocre.
For a county like Nyamira to exhibit chicken and eggs as something it has achieved in its development agenda; it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Subsequently, the issuance and advertising for a number of condoms issued at the conference is an indicator of moral decay and bankruptcy for our society.
The Devolution Conference should not be a forum where President Uhuru Kenyatta exudes his despondence and hopelessness in fighting corruption.
It also shouldn’t be a forum for Raila Odinga to propagate his agenda for a referendum while the current Kenyan Constitution hasn’t been implemented fully yet.
A word of advice to the President; such a forum should be a platform where he should talk of the relationship between counties and the national government on shared responsibility such as health, agriculture, sports among other pertinent issues.
Lastly, the Council of Governors should I future liaise with development partners, and the Senate to improve on such important forums.
#hivisasaoriginal