Journalists, CSOs call for more Information, Engagement from Coast Region County Governments

Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) held a two day workshop on Media and Devolution in Mombasa during which journalists and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) called for more effective engagement and pro-active release of information from the County Governments in the Coast region to facilitate public participation.  

Patrick Ochieng' of Ujamaa Center guides a session at the worksop

 The two- day workshop, which was part of KCA’s intervention aimed at Strengthening the Capacity of Correspondents to Generate Quality Content on Devolved Governments in Kenya, was held in Mombasa on March 24-25, 2015. It brought together over 30 participants, including journalists, representatives of civil society groups and Members of the County Assemblies.

The participants said the County Governments had failed to establish effectives systems for engagement with the media, CSOs and the public and in some cases were hostile to demands for critical information on their activities which was necessary for meaningful public participation.

Mombasa County was singled out for particularly being hostile to demands for information from the journalists and the public with some participants alleging cases of threats to those who were demanding information and accountability over the implementation of projects.

Kwale County was lauded for having made some efforts at improving its system of information sharing and interaction with journalists, the CSOs and the public but the participants noted that proper systems were yet to be established for improved and timely access to information needed for effective public audit of the government’s performance.

The workshop heard that powerful cartels were forming within the County Governments in the region that threatened to undermine service delivery through corrupt practices, mostly in the tendering and procurement with reports emerging that some key County Government officials had registered multiple companies that were increasingly getting favored in the award of tenders for lucrative projects.

Patrick Ochieng’ of Ujamaa Center led the workshop in discussing the gains and the emerging challenges and dynamics in the Coast Counties and the impact of insecurity on the implementation of Devolution in the Coast Region. 

He said the devolution implementation process faced challenges from a reluctant National Government  and the Parliament which had progressively slowed down the process and in some cases actively sabotaged it through failure to effectively manage the transition, peace meal release of funds, and passage of anti –Devolution laws.

“For the Coast Region, the failure and what clearly is a deliberate sabotage of the land reform process by the National Government spells danger as we may face major conflicts in the near future.  The politics that the National Government is playing with the land question, which manifests itself through the incessant wrangles between the Cabinet Secretary for Lands Cahrity Ngilu and the National Land Commission should be a major cause for worry, with grave implications for the Coast Region,” Said Ochieng’.

CSO officials, Simon Kate, the Network Co-odinator, Coast Civil Society Organization and Hamisa Zaja, the Regional Program Officer, Maji na Ufanishi (Water and Development) urged the County Governments to encourage greater openness and collaboration with the media and the CSOs for the benefit of the public. Ms Zaja said some MCAs had attempted to sabotage development initiatives by the CSOs in the region; a trend which he said threatened their collaboration in the service of the public.

A Member of the County Assembly (MCA) who is the Minority Leader in the Mombasa County Assembly Ms Maimuna Salim Mwamasa ( Shanzu Ward) and her nominated colleague Zeinab Dharwesh  defended the Mombasa County Government over accusations of failing to promote openness and greater public participation.

Some of the MCAs consult with Oloo Janak of KCA

“Public expectations are too high and members of the public do not also attend public forums even if invited unless they are paid transport and meal allowances. We always advertise over the radio and go round using public address systems to invite them for the forums but the level of participation remains low,” said Ms Mwamasa.

She admitted that many MCAs lacked the capacity to interrogate the budgets or hold the County Government Executive arm accountable but urged the media, CSOs and other stakeholders to exercise patience with the county governments saying they needed time to learn their roles as Devolution was a news system.

KCA National Chairman Oloo Janak urged the journalists to write investigative stories on the performance of the county governments saying there was need for appraisal of their performance two years since they were established, to inform public discourse and encourage accountability.

“Many Kenyans are bothered by the continued media focus on personalities and drama when it comes to reporting county governments and we need to make efforts to change this trend through issue based and well investigated stories that bring out both the gains so far realized and the challenges facing the County Governments in discharging their mandates,” Janak said. 

He urged the journalists to avoid being captured by both the County Governments and the emerging corrupt cartels who were keen to suppress information dissemination to the public through the media.

Urging the County Governments to establish effective structures for regular briefing to journalists on their activities, Janak at the same time warned County Government officials against threats to journalists writing on cases of corruption in the counties, which he said had been reported.

The workshop also discussed the legal and policy reforms in the media , safety and security of journalists and their impact on reporting Devolution;  the enduring  optimism in Devolution by Kenyans and the various scenarios building up within the context of the apparent failure to faithfully implement the Constitution and Devolution. 

Participants at the workshop expressed worry that the stability of the county could not be guaranteed unless the constitution was implemented faithfully and within the stipulated time frame to assure the citizens of improved governance, equity in the distribution of resources but also more prudent and accountable use of the resources.

William Oloo, Chairman .Kenya Correspondents Association(KCA) - Part 1

The Devolution Forum Speaks on Corruption in Government

The Devolution Forum (TDF), a multi-sectoral alliance convened by civil society, to bring together like-minded networks, organizations and individuals united for the promotion and protection of devolution and its implementation as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010, has cautioned agains the dangers of the return of mega corruption in Kenya.

Isiolo Marsabit Road: Such infrastructure projects are sources of corruption

The Forum says within the last two years since Jubilee Coalition came  been in power, the country has witnessed a return of corruption to levels that are comparable only to Kenya’s one-party era, when corruption was part of the everyday experience of citizens.

The Forum officials said at a Press conference in Nairobi on March 20, 2015 that within the last two years, corruption network had regrouped and were fighting with vengeance.

"Most of them (corruption scandal) involve unbelievably large sums of money that would otherwise have gone into critically needed public services, others implicate public officials, like members of the IEBC, in whom the public expects unquestionable integrity but who now find themselves embroiled in scandals. Worse still, corruption scandals now also implicate the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), constitutional mechanism set up to lead the war on corruption, leaving the question as to who the country can now turn to in the fight against corruption", the forum said in a statement.

The statment went on: "Under Jubilee, old arguments once used to justify mega-corruption have resurfaced and are being used for the same purpose. The Anglo-Leasing scandal, that affects three presidents, including the current president, was justified on the grounds that the contracts in question were necessary to secure the country from acts of terrorism.

The unprecedented insecurity that the country has faced in the last two years makes it clear that this argument was false when it was first made, and remains false today. Yet, it is the argument that is at the heart of the increasingly unaccountable relationship between the Kenya government and Safaricom, a company that set out to provide mobile telephony but which is now held out as a provider of security solutions, in contracts that have been awarded through single sourcing and at prices Safaricom determines".

Members of the TDF Lobby Group at a planning meeting recently

TDF warned that "the entry of Chinese companies on the Kenyan corruption scene has significantly reduced the possibility of accountability because these companies are prepared to pad kickbacks into contract prices, which is what explains the pricing variations witnessed during the Jubilee era".

The forum warned that citizens will not watch silently as these scandals take place and cited increasing citizens actions becuae there was complicity and inertia by the authorities, to whom they should turn for help.

"The heroic response by children of Langata Primary School represents a situation where the authorities refused to act, until children acted. In other situations, like the Standard Gauge Railway, the authorities have ignored the questions raised by citizens, in a show of contempt that is reminiscent of an era Kenya is emerging from".

The forum pointed out that where authorities had purported to prosecute, like the Anglo Leasing scandal, these prosecutions had been half-hearted and selective, with the authorities producing evidence discrediting the EACC, as a diversionary tactic aimed at undermining the prosecution.

The Forum noted that the EACC was now mortally wounded by credible allegations of corruption against not only the commissioners but also senior members of staff.

TDF has demanded the immediate resignation of the EACC led by its chair, Mumo Matemu and the other commissioners; the immediate cancellation of all the questionable contracts that Jubilee has awarded, including the standard gauge railway and the Safaricom/Hauwei contracts for the provision of security services; and a public disclosure of the shareholders of the “Chinese” company Pang, which has been at the forefront of the digital migration scandal.

Media stakeholders discusing digital Migration: a whiff of scandal

The Forum also demand that President Uhuru Kenyatta address the country within seven days, on what he proposedto do to address the runaway corruption that has engulfed his government or else "we shall begin a public mobilization for direct citizen action to address the problem of corruption in the country".

The statment by the lobby group said the president "must undertake to convene a national conference that will provide an inclusive platform for discussions on how to reconstitute the EACC, and also how to bring accountability for the corruption scandals that have come to light since Jubilee came to office".

Jubilee's Majority leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale has already dismissed the lobby groups demands claiming the forum had not authority to give an "ultimatum" to the president.

European Union and partners launch Governance and Devolution Project in Kisumu County

Catholic Organization for Relief and Development (Cordaid),Concern Worldwide (Concern) and Civil Society Organisations Network with financial support from the European Union (EU) have launched a Governance and Devolution project in Kisumu County, Kenya, to promote citizen’s inclusive participation in county planning and budgeting processes. 

Betty Okero of the CSO Network with Kisumu Women MCAs at a forum

The Project, which was launched on Friday March 20, 2015, also seeks to enhance financial transparency in the management of public resources at the County.  

Recent findings of a survey on Devolution and public participation in county budgeting and planning processes conducted by the University of Nairobi’s Institute for Development Studies in November/December 2014, highlights that about 80 percent of Kenyans do not participate in county budgeting and planning processes. The report further indicates that the public have no influence on county decision-making and have no access to information on county budgets, legislation and project Implementation plans.

“The EU devolution project is supporting   County Governments and local communities for transparent and    participatory    decision-making in accordance with the Constitution of Kenya 2010 .” Says Ms. Sunita Kapila, Programme Manager EU Delegation to Kenya.

The project will also support the implementation of relevant enacted laws on devolution in line with the County Government Act 2012, through capacity building of the Kisumu County Government and Non State Actors. 

Ruth Omukhango of Africa Women and Feature Service guides a citizen forum

“Cordaid’s priority is to contribute towards successful devolution in Kisumu and Isiolo Counties. Wewill work with the Kisumu County Government to ensure cost-effective and responsive development strategies and service delivery in accordance with the national standards and norms for public service delivery. The devolved structures are designed to create greater opportunities, responsiveness and accountability to the needs of citizens at the grassroots level.” Says Annelies Claessens, Country Director, Cordaid.

The project proposes to use community conversations, a social transformative approach that galvanizes communities to address the underlying causes of underdevelopment and vulnerability.

“Concern will use a tool called  community conversations to enhance the voice of the most poor and vulnerable  in county planning and decision making . We intend to foster connectivity  between the communities ,village and ward administrators by creating an enabling space for real and informed discussions. Says Wendy Erasmus, County Director, Concern Worldwide. 

Citizens participation saved this Taifa Park in Kisumu from land grabbers

Cordaid in partnership with CSO-Network and CEMIRIDE will implement the Devolution project in Isiolo and Kisumu Counties for three years from January 2015. 

Concern Worldwide jointly with Kisumu Medical and Education Trust (KMET), Community Action Rural Development (CARD) and Pastoralist Integrated Programme (PISP) will implement the project in Kisumu, Migori and Marsabit respectively. This project is funded by European Union.