Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has challenged County Assemblies not to allow other institutions seize their oversight and accountability role within county governments.
Mudavadi said devolution has matured, and Members of County Assemblies should take full charge of their mandate.
He said this relates to their roles of enacting county legislation, providing oversight over the county executive, and representing the interests of their constituents at the ward level.
“Do not allow your oversight and accountability role to be usurped by another institution. You are the ones who are supposed to oversee the County Governments. I don’t know if it is by design or whether you forgot, but it seems at times your role has been usurped,” Mudavadi warned.
Mudavadi noted that, having been the Minister for Local Government in the wake of the Constitution 2010, he was at the centre of pushing forward the first pieces of legislation to kick-start devolution.
He told the Counties Assemblies Forum at KICC, Nairobi, that their role is key in ensuring devolution continues to thrive and benefits citizens across all the 47 devolved units.
“Being a leader of a county assembly is a very significant assignment in this Republic, and therefore institutions that buttress devolution must be given all the necessary support,” Mudavadi said.
In the Forum, attended by President William Ruto, Mudavadi revived the debate on the possibility of having a constitutional referendum alongside the August 2027 general election.
He stated that some of the challenges facing counties and county assemblies can be resolved if the referendum takes place.
“Last year on the 26th of December, I spoke about the possibility of a constitutional moment for the country. One of the issues I thought needs to be really resolved and we have the capacity to do so, is to anchor the Ward Fund and the Constituency Development Fund properly in the constitution. This will help end all these debates of whether it should be there or not,” Mudavadi reaffirmed.
“Mr President, when you directed that I have a conversation with the County Assemblies Forum, I did so; they raised their issues, which they have touched on, and you are seized with. I believe with your support and encouragement, we shall be able to overcome these challenges so that the County Assemblies Forum, the people it represents, can have greater strength as they perform their duties.”
Among the issues that MCAs had raised under the coordination process of the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary held by Mudavadi and the County Assemblies Forum Chaired by Kwale County Assembly Speaker, Seth Mwatela, include anchoring the forum into law, financial autonomy of county assemblies and welfare issues touching on MCAs.
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