Handshakes and boisterous laughter dominated as curtains fell on the 5th Annual Devolution Conference that was officially closed by Deputy President William Ruto.
Addressing delegates who included Governors, Senators, MPs, MCAs, government leaders and invited guests, Ruto noted that the benefits of devolution have not been fully realized, but devolution would take Kenya places.
"We recognise the importance of Parliament, Judiciary, Commissions and independent offices in strengthening devolution. We must invest greater energy in building effective and accountable institutions," said the deputy president on Thursday.
In reiterating Ruto's call, Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka said all players in the devolution fraternity needed to work in concert with each other.
"The importance of teamwork in ensuring devolution succeeds cannot be gainsaid," he said in Kakamega.
"As you all witnessed on Monday, the Senate Football team worked as a team, effectively thrashing the Council of Governors 5-Nil at Bukhungu Stadium."
The conference was opened on Tuesday by President Uhuru Kenyatta, and attended by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday.