CoG chair Josephat Nanok. [Photo/capitalfm.co.ke]
The Council of Governors (CoG) has set aside Sh270 billion to finance urban infrastructure development programmes, chair Josphat Nanok said.
Speaking at the CoG offices in Nairobi, the governors said the programme, which will be funded by the World Bank, will be implemented in a period of six years between 2017 and 2023.
“In recognizing the importance of urban areas and cities in economic development, county governments find this programme quite timely. As counties develop their County Integrated Development plans and other Sectoral plans at the beginning of this regime, this programme will contribute significantly to the fulfillment of the said plans,” said Nanok.
He said the programme will create employment opportunities in the counties as it will ensure all counties are economically developed.
The governors also urged the Senate to quickly amend the County Allocation of Revenue Act (CARA) to include the projected Sh236 million for the next three years and Sh927 million for this financial year to enable the County Governments to budget their respective allocations for the implementation of the programme.
Nanok also said the governors will establish the number of people in each county to ease budget allocation and planning. “In order for county governments to plan for service delivery, it is imperative that this is backed by data generated from quality research; knowledge of how many households a county has is crucial to assist a county budget appropriately for its programmes hence we are developing evidence-based data-driven policy and legal frameworks,” he said.
Nanok said the council has resolved to jointly, with the national government, examine the gaps in the regulatory framework that governs industrial disputes in order to avert future strikes.