COUNTY GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT SERVICE DELIVERY, NOT A FARM TO HARVEST "JOBS"

                   Good governments don't distribute cash,they empower the masses to make cash on their own. This is cardinal role as to why governments exist. They are principally there to create an enabling environment for all to live and eke out a living. 

                   But it seems my people are missing the point. I did a background check by asking some of my friends on social media about their expectations now that elections are over and county governments have started shaping up. I noticed a common trend in all the submissions I received. Almost everybody was expecting to be absorbed in the public service in the county governments. All expressed optimism that they will grab a job here or there in the county public service.

                   This left me with a big question; were county governments formed to dish out  cash in the name of employment or to develop the people to be employers in their own capacities? To respond to this,I think, it is important to have a look at history of Public-State relations in Kenya. Development in Kenya since independence has largely been a preserve of the State through its various agencies. The public was a mere 'receiver' of the services of the State and not a 'participant'. There were no defined avenues for public-government interaction. This is evidenced by the fact that all corners of the Republic were treated as one entity sharing the same challenges and having the same needs. This was a complete negation of the fact that each segment of the Republic had its own challenges and needs.

                    This led to duplication of roles and to some instances rendering services that are not in agreement with the needs of the people on the ground. For instance, what is the need of sending a Fisheries Officer to Wajir when the main economic activity there is livestock farming? This is the reason why County Governments were formed. It is to respond to local needs and challenges. To provide an easy-to-reach entity for the locals. It is not about staffing a million men and women in offices. It is about creating opportunities for many. It is about encouraging the hoi polloi to be self-reliant.

                    Now that we have this in mind,it will be for the interest of all that the county team embarks on "dirtying their hands" in the service of all. The era of office-based workers is long gone. People should get out of offices and move out to the people. They should be ready to sleep in the cold to fulfill their mandate. They must be ready to listen to the man and woman in the village. Failure to which, the people will rise up. The power is with the people, not in the offices.