Senators have been urged to nurture and protect devolution in its second phase of implementation. The Chairman of the Council of Governors Josphat Nanok has asked the senate not to fight Counties as was the case in the previous regime.
Speaking in Kapenguria in West Pokot, the Turkana Governor said that during the previous tenure, the Senate tackled Governors on numerous occasions, and that hindered the effective delivery of services.
“The Senate summoned most of our members regarding petty issues. I hope this time they will stop fighting Governors and instead offer them support,” he said.
He said the Senate and County governments need to work together and serve people who elected them to help ensure the success of devolution.
He said the supremacy tussle between Governors and Senators heavily affected implementation of devolution in the country.
“We don’t want to experience personal fights between leaders. As the chair I will work closely with the Senate to ensure unity of purpose is achieved,” he said.
Nanok added that the first crop of Governors tried their best to implement the new system of government.
He accused most of the previous Senators of putting bad precedence in the Senate, by only caring for themselves.
“We want more consultations between the two entities to ensure there is no breach of law and unnecessary fights,” he added.
He also urged new Governors to respect the Senate and attend summons whenever they are called to do so.
About the ongoing nurses strike the chairman said they didn’t have enough time to sit down with the nurses and thrash out a deal due to the campaigns and elections, adding that the issues should be addressed because Kenyans are suffering.
However, Nanok accused the national government of lacking the commitment to solve the health crisis that has hit the nation for many years. “The health sector has been hit with a crisis since the implementation of devolution and it calls for a united effort from all stakeholders to fix this,” he said.
