Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced changes to the way the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) conducts its meetings, with formal sessions set to start at 08:00 following early consultations aimed at helping national and county governments reach consensus faster.
Kindiki said the changes were intended to make IBEC more efficient by separating technical discussions from high-level policy decisions.
The Council brings together representatives of the national and county governments to address issues affecting the implementation of devolved functions, resource allocation and service delivery.
Speaking during the 30th Ordinary Session of IBEC in Karen, Nairobi, on Monday, Kindiki said consultations would begin at 07:30, giving Cabinet Secretaries, governors and independent office holders time to resolve outstanding issues before formal proceedings.
"Going forward, IBEC will formally begin at 8:00 a.m., but we will start consultations from 7:30 a.m. This will provide enough time for the two levels of government—the Cabinet Secretaries, Governors and independent office holders—to consult and build consensus over breakfast before the formal meeting begins at 8:00 a.m.," he said.
The DP highlighted that the formal sessions should take no more than two hours, with IBEC expected to concentrate on decisions rather than prolonged technical debates.
"The formal meeting should be as formal and as brief as possible because I have always repeated here that this is a very high-level meeting. Meetings of this nature are not supposed to take forever. They are not for arguments or for discussing all the things that happen at the technical level. They are for policy decisions: you either accept, reject, defer or refer. That is it," he said.
The Council also agreed to hold a special IBEC meeting the following Monday to consider two health-related agenda items that were removed from the main session.
Kindiki said the additional meeting would give the Council of Governors Health Committee, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, the National Treasury and other stakeholders time to harmonise their positions.
The Deputy President also praised the Health Summit held the previous week, saying IBEC had played a role in shaping discussions on healthcare between the two levels of government.
"There is no IBEC meeting where the health agenda does not feature, so we have bragging rights, even if in a small way, as IBEC for having contributed to the success of the Summit."
Kindiki further called for faster implementation of County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), describing them as a foundation for Kenya's industrialisation strategy.
"Simply put, CAIPs are the first step towards industrialisation. If we want to create an industrial nation, KIPs are the baby steps. Aggregation and value addition are the baby steps towards creating an industrial nation in a generation."
He identified Meru, Embu, Kirinyaga, Kisii, Wajir and Garissa as among counties at advanced stages of completing their KIPs. He said the Government wanted the projects to progress towards value addition, processing and job creation, with adequate electricity, water and road infrastructure.
The DP stressed that at least five CAIPs should be commissioned in the coming weeks.
On food security, he said depressed harvests in key cereal-producing areas had prompted Government measures to protect the country from hunger and famine.
"Therefore, we have taken measures to cushion the country against hunger and famine. The Ministry of Agriculture is engaged, and the National Treasury has been very supportive."
Kindiki also said the Government was working with the Council of Governors to harmonise county licensing procedures.
"We are trying to develop some general policies around licensing procedures. We have made some progress. The law is already in place, but its implementation requires some redrafting," he maintained.
The consultations, he added, are intended to build consensus on how counties implement licensing laws while reducing inconsistencies in procedures across devolved units.