The Land ministry is calling for inter county partnerships that will spur sustainable development of metropolitan cities in the country for unified development.
Land PS Mariamu El Maawy says neighbouring county governors should pool their resources together and establish joint economic pillars that will facilitate cohesive growth of the counties instead of getting embroiled in hollow boundary stalemates.
She spoke Monday in Nakuru when she paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Governor Joseph Ruto and County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha.
"The incessant wrangling among neighbouring counties over boundaries in recent days has been detrimental to the much desired devolution driven regional development in the country," the PS observed.
She advised governors to work together and agree on common economic drivers that can benefit citizens in their counties and help develop them in to sustainable economic stimuli initiatives that regional governments can depend on in the quest to improve livelihoods of citizens.
She cited common universities, industries and agricultural zones which county governments can jointly conceptualise and develop to benefit citizens instead of each county dedicating resources to similar projects at the expense of overriding priorities of citizens.
"The country’s economic future is vested in the metropolis model which encourages regional governments in one geographical region of the country to pool their resources together with a view of developing joint social economic amenities," El Maawy said.
She argued that joint social economic ventures add value to livelihoods of as many citizens as possible within a short investment cycle as compared to the traditional models where each regional government invests enormous resources to similar initiatives.
The PS used the occasion to reaffirm the central government`s commitment to ensuring that the World Bank funded Kenya Informal Settlement upgrading Program (KISIP) launched mid last year across 10 municipalities in the county is completed as a way of improving living conditions of people living in slums in Kenya`s urban areas.
The KISIP project that is supervised by beneficiary 16 county governments seeks to improve sanitation in slums while making them secure in an integrated communal lighting component.