Economic Blue Print to Transform Lake Victoria Region into a Major Economic Hub Unveiled

BY GEORGE OWITI - KCA

The Lake Victoria Region of Kenya is set to undergo a major socio-economic transformation based on an Economic Blue Print which has been prepared by a team of consultants from Deloite & Touch with support from Ford Foundation. 

 Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma (center) addresses the press. With him are (l-r) Rosemary Okello-Orlale of Ford Foundation, Sammy Onyango,CEO Deloitte), Dr. Kennedy Hongo, a senior officer, Kisumu County Goverment,  and E.A Lubembe of Deloitte.

 

The Blue Print, which focuses on seven major economic pillars, including agriculture, ICT, infrastructure, tourism and hospitality, financial services, education and health services, is set to transform the Lake Victoria Region, which has a block of thirteen counties into a major power house not only in Kenya but the Eastern Africa Region. 

Highlights of the Economic Blue Print were unveiled today by Sammy Onyango; the CEO of Deloitte at a media briefing in Kisumu presided over by the Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma. Also present was Ford Foundation Program officer in charge of Public Service Media Rosemary Okello-Orlale and Mr. E.A Lubembe, Director, Public Affairs at Deloitte. 

President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to formally launch the Blue print on Tuesday April 21, 2015 at the opening session of the four- day Devolution Conference in Kisumu. This year’s conference is the second one since the Devolved system of Governance was launched after the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

Lake Victoria from Tilapia Beach: The lake's potential is enormous.

Speaking during the press briefing Kisumu Governor, Jack Ranguma said all preparations were complete to ensure the conference was a success. He said the forum which had been organized by Council of Governors and the National Government through the Ministry of Devolution will be attended by more than 6,000 participants from across the country and international agencies. 

He said the conference was meant to discuss progress of devolution since its inception, review the challenges and make recommendations to ensure devolution was implemented successfully.

The governor said the Lake Basin Economic Blue Print which was initially an initiative of Kisumu County Government had attracted the interest of a total of thirteen counties from the region drawn from Nyanza, Western and the Rift Valley. 

He thanked Ford Foundation for the support and said the initiative would transform the region into a major economic hub which will not only transform the lives of the people in the region but would serve the entire Eastern Africa region.

He said Kisumu County and the city was a major hub for the East African Region and was building a bigger capacity to service the large population in the Lake Victoria region through improved facilities and infrastructure. 

Ranguma said was important for counties from the Western Kenya Region to develop capacity in several other areas arguing that there were numerous opportunities to be exploited by a number of counties from the region in both tourism and hospitality industries.

Workers final preparations to a giant tent for the conference

“We need to exploit numerous opportunities available in hospitality and tourism industries, the lake region community will attract most foreign investments in the country,” Ranguma said.

According to the governor, counties must have proper economic agenda based on strengths of each county to make devolution a reality and change the livelihoods of Kenyans.

Ranguma called on the Kisumu residents to be tolerant and peaceful during the three days conference so as not to scare away investors visiting the region thereby giving the county bad image, he said security had been beefed up.

The governor said the counties involved in the initiative had committed to making it succeed and would commit adequate resources to drive the implementation of all the key pillars.

Ms. Okello-Orlale said Ford Foundation remained committed to supporting development programs in the region and the country to help transform lives.  

Onyango of Deloitte said the Blue Print was the result of extensive consultation and research in the Lake region which involved sampling views from different stakeholders. He said if implemented faithfully, the plan could radically transform the region and make it a major economic hub which could see it serving many other countries globally and create employment opportunities.

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.

Community Resource Centre Set Up in Siaya County to Empower Local Communities

A Community Resource Centre has been set up in Siaya Town to empower local communities to engage effectively in day-to-day governance affairs. The Center is operational and is currently being used by many Siaya County residents to access information on various issues.

H.E. David Angell  Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, speaks during the launch of Siaya Community Resource Centre  Development    

The Siaya Resource Center, which has been set up by the Institute for Law and Environmental Government (ILEG), was formally launched on February 20, 2015 at a colorful ceremony presided over by the Canadian Ambassador to Kenya Mr. David Angell.

ILEG Director Benson Ochieng says the organization is working with closely with the national and county government to improve laws and policies on natural resources governance. It is also training local communities to utilize the new Constitution to demand their right to participate in governance. 

“We are now focusing on access to land and natural resources, to stop governance excesses and ensure that communities benefit from their resources. That’s the reason we have been organizing seminars on human rights, access to resources and sustainable development,” he say.

Benson Ochieng, Executive Director of ILEG, making a presentation 

Ochieng says democracy works best when citizens know and participate in what their government is doing, and when they are able to interrogate and monitor leadership. ILEG has therefore set up Siaya Community Resource Centre to empower local communities to engage effectively in day-to-day governance affairs.

Presiding over the launch of the Center, Ambassador Angell said the Embassy was willing to work with the County Government to address a number of emerging issues in the country. He said Canadian companies are leaders in mining and forestry adding that a number of big Canadian mining multinationals were already operating in Siaya. 

Mr. Angell said cooperation could avail the necessary resources and technologies to harness the rich natural resource endowments of Siaya County. He said Kenya’s devolution remained a most ambitious project, but noted that a lot had already been achieved. He called for more media coverage of the achievements. 

He said even Canada, which had two generations’ worth of experience on devolution still faced challenges with regard to dealing with governance and benefit sharing adding that Kenya’s devolved system benefitted from Canada’s experience during the constitution-making. 

Canada, which is fairly vast, has only 8 provinces and 3 territories, compared to Kenya’s 47 counties. It is still struggling with issues of inclusion, even as three of its biggest territories are governed by women. 

The envoy said Kenyans had reason to be proud of what it has achieved with devolution to-date adding that the key to success in devolution was in ensuring mechanisms for involving citizens, including women and local communities, in governing the affairs of the state. 

He said Canada would be keen to work with Siaya County on ways to adopt technologies for harnessing resources and human capital for sustainable development. This could involve research and learning through centers of excellence, and working with organizations like ILEG to build local capacities, for example through the Siaya Community Resource Centre.

Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga (third left) by H.E. David Angell,   Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya (center), Ford Foundation’s Regional Representative Maurice Makoloo (in yellow shirt) and ILEG’s Executive Director Benson Ochieng with others on 17 February 2015  after calling the Governor's Offcie in Siaya Town. 

Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga while speaking at the launch said the county was endowed with vast valuable natural resources, especially gold but lacked the technology to map, explore and exploit the resources. He said artisanal miners work under poor conditions using rudimentary technologies which exposed many of them to many environmental and health hazards. 

Not long ago, some miners were buried alive in Kogelo, near the ancestral home of US President Barack Obama near Siaya Township. 

Governor Rasanga said the legal and policy framework was weak and uncertain and called on Canada to help avail technologies to map, explore and exploit the resources. In addition, he said Siaya was keen to improve its forest cover, and could learn a lot from what Canada had achieved as a leading lumbering nation. 

Maurice Makoloo, Regional Representative, Ford Foundation speaks at the Center launch

Saying his government was willing to engage and cooperate with different agencies to enhance learning for Siaya, the governor lauded ILEG’s experience in natural resources law and policy research saying this could be very helpful to the county in streamlining operations, especially governance of the natural resources sectors in Siaya.

Ford Foundation Regional Representative Maurice MakOloo said the Foundation was also supporting a number of development projects in the country and in the Lake Victoria Region. He said one such initiative was to develop a common economic blue print for the lake region counties in Nyanza andWestern Kenya.

He said the Foundation was also supporting ILEG to work with local communities as well as the County and national governments on governance of natural resources to empower communities to engage effectively in land and resource governance policy and law-making processes. He added that the Foundation was ready to help Siaya County to develop a communication strategy, as well as a framework for public participation.

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.