Re-assurance of A United Kenya Timely and a Great Relief for Many
As county governance continues getting entrenched, it may be worthwhile recognizing a recent court judgment that invaluably affects the devolved leadership. The ruling has now ratified the appointment of county commissioners, despite the earlier disapproval that led to unprecedented court action, initiated by a private lawyer, as opposed to the Attorney General. Nonetheless, it was a great sense of relief for many Kenyans. They could have been wondering what may have happened to our bureaucrats, who had not perceived anything wrong, in fully handing over our counties to governors, in seemingly total exclusion of the national government.
The matter had brought to mind the events of the pre -1989 world and immediately thereafter. Then, there were two halves of the world and ideologies too. It was about east or west orientation as exemplified by either socialism or capitalism. There were a few players though, professing some form of non-alignment, India being a good example.
Those were the days that Germany existed as two countries then divided into East and West. That division had been executed by the League of Nations, the predecessor of United Nations. The war mongering united Germany, which was behind two world wars, had to be contained somehow; thus, the sub-division that was marked by the Berlin Wall.
This wall was prior to 1989, a symbol of the cold war. The east could not see eye to eye with the west, only courtesy of ideological differences. Those were the days when the world was at ease with dictators. As long as they were supporting one ideology or the other, they could get away with massive crimes against humanity or even plundering resources of their nations at will.
Some people may find it difficult to fathom the effects of dictatorship. But, anybody who may have visited the Democratic Republic of Congo in the recent past, like me, can perhaps appreciate the impact of dictatorship. Many years thereafter, the country is still reeling from the excesses of Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku, the then seemingly larger than life African dictator.
DR Congo is now and then at war especially in the east (around Goma), where rebels somehow have their way. The national leadership is at home in the West – Kinshasa, where development is headquartered. Rural infrastructure is greatly impaired by absence of consistent peace. Effectively, the economy is adversely affected, as marked by invariably high levels of Inflation.
A kilo of mbuzi (goat) meat in a Kinshasa ordinary eating place goes for the equivalent of KES 2,000, whereas that of a chicken attracts KES 1200. Bed only in a 5 star hotel goes for US $ 300 (KES 25,500), whereas one has to fork out US $ 30 (KES 2550) for breakfast only. 0ne Kenya shilling is equivalent to about 100 Congolese francs, whereas a US $ dollar exchanges at 920 francs. Information on wages can be depressing and therefore better left out of this. One can only guess how people meet their survival needs in that massive nation.
Meanwhile, the collapse of the Berlin Wall marked one of the greatest turning points in the world that we are living in today. It is credited with the beginning of global freedom that was followed by free flow of information. East/West animosities were no more. Sadly, these achievements led to the beginning of the end of the United Soviet Socialist Republic.
The same was marked by secession of the different states which started taking shape. Some declared independence and got it immediately. Others experienced bloodshed to become globally recognized independent states. In a nutshell, the previous USSR superpower melted into the modern Russian state that is today under the leadership of Vladimir Putin.
In light of this background, many people were uncomfortable with devolution of Kenya into many counties. The same rekindled memories of the cold war and subsequent disintegration of USSR. Eventual and unchecked ceding of national powers to elected governors, made matters even worse. So, the then so-called controversial appointment of county commissioners was a great relieve to those who felt that national interests should not be fully entrusted to county governors.
Indeed, Kenya is such a small country that one can traverse from one end to the other, within sunrise and sunset hours. It is no doubt in the interest of the majority to see Kenya’s territory of 580,370 Km sq remaining unconditionally under one command. Besides, it is the whole nation that has devolved into counties. Naturally therefore, it is comprehensible why the then head of state stuck with his then not commonly accepted decision. Thankfully, the same has now been ratified by the judicial system.
The Writer is an expert in Business/Organizational Strategy & Change Management Solutions as well as Organizational Transformation, largely inspired by high impact Capacity Building Training Solutions as well as unique Business Leadership and Performance Management Training/Employee re-branding solutions. Through Newtimes Business Solutions, he also conducts high impact Strategy Workshops and Motivational Seminars. Further, he is a Veteran Company of the Year Award Consultant for KIM as well as a former Daily Newspaper and Business Magazine Columnist.