 |
| Photo courtesy of Internet sources |
The ever increasing rumblings regarding alleged corrupt officials within Kenya's devolved units provide an interesting case study, especially, on questions touching on governance in general, people-centered approach and elite supremacy. A majority of us believe that a significant number of our county governors - and their minions - have accountability questions to respond to or have amassed wealth they can hardly trace its legitimate sources. More critically, many people now think devolution goodies have been redirected to a select few – the crème de la crème of our counties.
No matter the seriousness of these allegations, we cannot run away from engaging in an objective, constructive analysis of this system.
From where I sit, the very concrete issue in this debate should revolve around whether the system is shaky and anti-people or if it is the people managing it who need redemption – plus loads of prayers. On the other hand, we ought to explore ways of restoring hope and reassurance among many Kenyans out there who bank on devolution for all their development needs.
To deeply decipher the greatness of devolution in Kenya, readings on our post-independence government-to-people relations should feature prominently on our shelves. Recently, I picked up that infamous 1960s Kenya government policy paper that split Kenya into two zones: the economically viable areas and low-potential belt. On a closer scrutiny, I got a feeling that document had nothing fruitful for the people of Kenya. I tend to believe its drafters didn’t carry out any post-policy study. Had they conducted it - which I believe they didn't - they would have saved us the inequalities that now stalk our national socio-economic landscape.
Whereas the reasoning at the time of its inception seemed to have been inspired by the need to scale up production in the so-called high potential areas in order to boost government's finances to ostensibly 'bridge' the gap 'created' by low-potential areas, the kind of damage this policy has caused must serve as a living reminder to all those who think a return to a centralized management of national resources is the best bet. Surely, only an unreasonable Kenyan can find solace in anything centralized.
Or perhaps, those shouting about the evils of devolution have no knowledge of where we came from.
We cannot talk about marginalization without mentioning the risks of being at the peripheries of resource distribution. I know some homegrown factors like local professionals' apathy are to blame for the build-up of marginalization waves in the northern frontier of this country. All in all, Nairobi, or rather the center, cannot sit pretty and wish away the pain it has caused to what it erroneously christened 'low-potential zones'.
This brings me to the small matter of systems vis-à-vis leaders. We just have to face the truth; you cannot imagine a stable Kenya minus devolution. Without this pro-people system, we will all go bonkers. We will fight until the moons disappear.
Accusations and counter-accusations aside, devolution is doing wonders in many rural hamlets of this country. These wonders come in two phases: material and immaterial. The material aspects include those new schools, dispensaries, roads, water pumps and so on you see in your towns and villages.
The immaterial aspect is by far the greatest achievement of devolution. Our newfound patriotism has something to do with the billions of shillings flowing to our counties. Now, unlike before, a fishmonger operating from Lake Turkana can proudly claim to be a Kenyan. In less than three years, devolution has succeeded to build an edifice that Nairobi's bureaucracy failed to build in its fifty-plus years of hollow national praise-singing. Real patriotism is down there in the village. Take a walk and witness this progress.
Again, today, unlike yesterday, the word 'budget' pops up in any public meeting you attend. Evidently, narrow elitist push-back will always reappear when money matters are directly managed and supervised by the public. Now, this is the sweetest thing about this system; with devolution you cannot just run away from your responsibilities. Information is no-longer an exclusive property of some faceless Nairobi-based officials.
I think it is an undertaking grounded in veiled escapism when some supposedly clever people badmouth devolution for sins committed by their governors. Systems do not work on their own. They depend on smart, committed brains. Installing effective brains and reaping humongous returns are no strangers. You know how to do the 'installation' - vote wisely.
Fellow Kenyans, direct your diatribe to your governors if strengthening devolution remains your nationalistic mission.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your thoughts? thanks for dropping them here...