Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called for stronger sector forums between the national and county governments to improve coordination and make the implementation of devolution more effective.
Kindiki said sector forums had an important role in resolving technical and operational issues before they reached the National and County Government Co-ordinating Summit.
Speaking at the National and County Government Co-ordinating Summit at State House, Nairobi, on Tuesday, Kindiki said the Summit should focus on high level policy decisions while technical matters should be handled by the relevant sector forums.
“I will point out the need for us, in the future, to perfect this work in progress by strengthening the work of sector forums because they would really simplify the work of the Summit and the other organs of devolution,” Kindiki said.
He said strengthening the forums would allow the Summit to concentrate on its core responsibility as the highest platform for policy decisions under the devolved system.
“ The Summit is not the place to do technical, professional and operational work,” he said.
Kindiki noted that the lean agenda before the Summit demonstrated the progress already made through the various coordination structures.
“For that reason, it is no surprise that today we have a lean agenda, as it should be, because many of the issues have been tackled at the sector forum level, IBEC level and so forth,” he said.
The Deputy President singled out the health sector as an example of how effective cooperation between the national and county governments could deliver results.
“I am very proud of the successes we have achieved around health. The sector forum on health is the most successful,” Kindiki said.
He credited Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, officials at the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors for their contribution to the progress made through the health sector forum.
“This is followed by agriculture, where we have made good progress,” he said.
Kindiki also identified trade and investment as another sector that had recorded progress, particularly through work around County Aggregation and Industrial Parks.
“Another sector which is doing very well is trade and investment because of the work we have done around CAIPs,” he said. The Deputy President said the progress demonstrated the importance of maintaining cordial relations between national and county governments.
He said Kenya's devolved system had initially been marked by competition, conflict and confrontation after its introduction.
“When devolution was introduced into our governance structure, it started with a lot of difficulties. There was a lot of competition, conflict and confrontation,” Kindiki said.
He said the difficulties were part of the process through which the country learnt how to operate under a new governance structure. “Perhaps the reason why we started in that bumpy manner is because we needed to practise devolution, understand it better, and form better ways of governing our country in a new format,” he said.
According to Kindiki, Kenya now has a better working relationship between the different institutions involved in implementing devolution. “Fifteen years later, we have a much better working relationship and a much better system,” he said.
He praised President William Ruto for improving relations between institutions supporting devolution. Kindiki said he had benefited from the improved cooperation through his engagements with the Council of Governors and heads of independent offices in carrying out his responsibilities as Chair of the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council.
He also thanked Council of Governors chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi for providing what he described as a cordial framework for cooperation.
Kindiki said the progress made so far should be sustained as Kenya continues to strengthen devolution, which he described as the “crown jewel” of the Constitution.
“I am very happy to support your leadership as you guide our country to perfect the levels of governance and make sure that the crown jewel of our Constitution, which is devolution, is progressed, effected, polished and improved,” he said.