President Uhuru Kenyatta (centre) claps as Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia (left) exchange documents with Mr John Flannery, President and CEO of General Electric Healthcare after the signing of contracts for Medical equipment at State House in Nairobii recently. Photo/HUDSON WAINAINA

Governors must change attitude on devolution

The Health ministry has announced that 25 governors have signed a memorandum of agreement with the National government for the leasing of medical equipment to be supplied to two hospitals in each county.
The leased equipment project, to cover 94 hospitals, was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta over a week ago, at a function that was snubbed by all governors for allegedly being sidelined in the procurement process.
However, that the governors have now started signing into the project, according to Health CS James Macharia, could be a sign they are realising the deployment of the equipment is more beneficial to delivery of health services than political posturing that could derail it.
Even though the National government must learn to respect the spirit of devolution and involve County governments in projects that directly affect their regions, the governors must also heed the wisdom of eschewing politics in development matters that would improve the electorate’s standards of living.
A case in point is the leasing of the health equipment in which the National government moved as if the County governments did not exist, yet the health function has been fully devolved.
Feeling slighted, the governors decided to snub the launch and demanded involvement with full terms of engagement, to back it. However, for a country badly in need of improved healthcare services, it would be imperative for governors to put aside all demands and implement the project.
A positive attitude towards the implementation of such a project would even unlock the differences between the County and National government quicker than posturing and utter rejection of the project.
The attitude by governors should go beyond the healthcare project to embrace everything that enhances development in the regions, without raising extraneous issues that may stagger the move forward.
On the thorny issue of increasing counties allocations to 45 per cent of the government revenue, the Treasury has shown positive response to comply, but most counties remain adamant against a demand that no more than 25 per cent of the allocation should go to staff expenses.
The rest should go to development. If the demand by the governors that devolution be let to prosper unhindered is to be honoured, they must also play their part in ensuring the monies entrusted to them are used prudently to achieve set goals.
So far, what has emanated from the counties most is wrangling between governors and MCAs, and tussle for power between governors and senators. It is now time to wake up and work for the county administrations, if devolution is to stake out the claim as the best system of governance.