Press Release

Achieving Effective Devolution, Transformed Civil Service and Security of the people

Nairobi, January 20, 2014/…..As the County governments start the process of drafting and enacting various sound sectoral enabling pieces of legislation and policies, the International Center for Policy and Conflict (ICPC) would like to state that the success of various sectoral laws and policies will be determined by implementing an effective devolved governance and development policy framework.

The Senate will have to play a key role in the implementation of this framework by facilitating enactment of new national sound integrated democratic devolved system of sustainable development and governance policy framework consistent with the Constitutional principles and new Constitutional development policy shift. It is critical for the County governments as they start to settle and gain ground to understand that the normative constitutional foundation basis is strong.

In order to achieve effective devolved governance, delivery of quality services consistence with the Constitution is paramount. The Public Service Commission (PSC), a constitutional body mandated with the transformation of public service should together with the County Service Board create a highly skilled, professional and accountable civil service and overhaul the work ethics and culture within. The PSC and County Public Service have the appropriate constitutional and institutional independence amplitude to execute their roles.

This civil service should be capable of running operations and delivering large-scale changes to service delivery to match the global competition. It should competently support the well-being and prosperity of the country and turn development vector from narrow base consumption-oriented economy to a broad well ground knowledge investment-oriented economy.

Security on the other hand is very vital for the stability of a country. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 enshrined drastic principles and provisions to transform and build a democratic policing and law enforcement system. While the national government takes on the responsibility and duty on broad national security policy, the county government on the other hand is tasked with the responsibility of guaranteeing residents security in their respective jurisdictions through the County Policing Authority.

The ICPC notes that while the Inspector General of Police retains the overall command and operational direction and National Police Service Commission deals with human resource management and oversight function of National Police Service, the county policing and law enforcement model must be adopted with County governments playing pivotal role in supervising/oversight police service at their respective jurisdictions.

Effective County-based security and law enforcement is critical for three main reasons. First, it is consistent with devolved governance and is the new corporate strategy for the modern police and law enforcement. This replaces the strategy of maintaining regime policing at whatever cost. Second, County policing is about security of the people. It is an instrument of change for the new police service with emphasis on human security and specific security needs of the local communities. Finally, county policing is a method of providing proactive policing and law enforcement informed by local distinct conditions.

Therefore, for Kenya to have an effective devolved governance and transformed civil service and security, both the county and national government should consolidate certain processes, organs and institutions removing duplication for greater economies of scale. The county public and private actors must also work together in creating, expanding and growing sustainable county economy.

Signed by,

Ndung’u Wainaina

Executive Director