Senators boycott devolution conference over ‘misuse’ of public funds by Governors

Senators made good their threat to boycott the Third Annual Devolution Conference in Meru with only Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro and two nominated Senators present.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was also scheduled to officially open the conference skipped the event.

The Senate had threatened to boycott the conference over alleged misuse of public funds by the Council of Governors (COG).

The Senators cited a Devolution Ministry document indicating that the COG spent over one billion shillings on operation costs and another 200 million on legal fees.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Dr. Willy Mutunga has said that the Judiciary will be soon opening High Court registries in Mandera, Wajir and Maralal.

Mutunga said that the number of High Court stations have increased to 34 from the 17 he found when he took office in 2013.

The CJ said that the Judiciary has been an important partner in devolution.

The Conference is being attended by delegates among them Namibian Prime minister Dr. Saara Kuugo -Gelwa, Ethiopian Minister for Federal Affairs Kassa Tekle Berhan, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro, among others.

The conference is aimed at keeping track of devolution and the county governments.

The delegates will also look into nine themes including corruption, which has been a huge challenge in the counties.

Other subjects to be addressed include intergovernmental relations and the relevance of state corporations and regional development authorities in the devolved system.