Kisumu Gears Up for the Second Devolution Conference

The Second Devolution Conference will be held at the Lakeside City of Kisumu and the atmopshere is already upbeat ahead of the forum scheduled for April 21-24, 2015.

The Kisumu County Government and the managment of of Kisumu City are putting in place all the necessary preparations to ensure the event succeeds. The city is abuzz with various activities with hotels, transport firms, entertainment joints and other support services and the residents looking forward to the event with excitement.

" We look forward to hosting the Governors and other important guests who will be coming to the city for the conference. Kisumu is lively and the people are hospitable so they should look forward to great fun during their stay here," says James Oduor, a resident of the city.

 Kisumu's Kenyatta Sports Ground: one ot the recreation facilities

Most hotels have reported heavy bookings and at some of the facilities, all the rooms are taken up. More than 4000 delegates are expected to converge in the city, which has lately become a major conference tourism destination.

Devolution Conference, organized by the Council of Governors (CoG) is an important event since the inaugural even last year held in Kwale County in April 2014, in the Coast Region of Kenya. 

According to the CoG, it was resolved during the first devolution conference that the conference be held annually on  a rotational basis. The COG is working together with the Ministry of Devolution and Planning and other partners in hosting the second devolution conference. 

The first conference, held in Kwale County , had a theme focusing on reflecting on the highlights of the first year of devolution. The second one will focus on “Celebrating the Gains of Devolution” with a guiding theme, “Appreciating and strengthening Devolved Governance; Working together to Realize the Objectives of Devolution.”

Kisumu City: New Uchumi Supermarket, fruits of devolution

According to the COG, the April 2015 Devcon which will be bigger than that of last year and will bring together more than 4,000 participants comprising of Governors, Deputy Governors, Senators, Women Representatives, MPs, MCAs, development partners, private sector, and external and internal technocrats. 

"This conference marks the second anniversary since the establishment of devolved system of governance in Kenya and provides opportune time to take stock of successes, lessons learnt, challenges , and plan for coming years," says the COG in its Conference website.

A number of events are planned, both before and during the conference. These will include sponsors’ breakfast, editor’s guild luncheon, western economic blue print meeting in Kisumu, CECs conference in Nairobi and county dialogue forums which will culminate in the 2015 Devcon. 

The outcomes of both county dialogue forums and the CECs conference will be pointers to Devcon deliberations and resolutions. On the first day of the conference, COG and MoDP will host a networking cocktail with all the partners and 47 governors.

The event will have four thematic areas aimed at auditing the devolution implementation against its objects. This is based on Chapter 11 of the Constitution, the County Governments Act, and the Intergovernmental Relations Act.

Kisumu International Airport will reap from the conference

Key among the objects of devolution are power of self-governance, public participation, recognizing diversity and equitable sharing of national and local resource. 

The four thematic areas are: devolution as a concept, taking stock of ideal versus the practice; institutional and political impact of devolution; conflict resolution, intergovernmental and intra-governmental; and resources service delivery, opportunities and responsibilities.

The conference is expected to recommend and resolve on the establishment of structures to facilitate closer consultation and enhance a harmonized approach amongst National Government, County Governments, Parliament and other stake holders. 

Lake Victoria: Boat riding and other activities beckon  

A key outcome will be a commitment by the County Governments, the National Government and other participants to the principles of reforms, democracy, governance, improved service delivery, as espoused in the Constitution, County Governments Act 2012 and Intergovernmental Relations Act 2012.  

The conference will also provide an opportunity for sharing lessons learnt, experiences and best practices on devolved government. A joint plan of action is expected to be developed at the end of the conference.