The SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT REPORT THE PARTNERSHIP REVIEW OF FOR PEACE DEVOLUTION TASK FORCE PROJECT FUNDED LEnhancingink governance for all REPORT BY THE EU — PAGES 14 & 19 — PAGES 15 - 18 MAY 2011 Issue No. 079 Kshs 40/= No direction on devolution …as Mudavadi team throws back to the people crucial decisions By GIDEON OCHANDA HE Task Force on devolution created by the Ministry of Lo- Tcal Government has thrown back a raft of recommendations to the people without fixing firm posi- tions for improvement. Turn to Page 2, Col. 1 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government Musalia Mudavadi. Severe drought forces closure of schools By MALACHI MOTANO “Until June last year, while the small blackboard loaded onto camels periods of drought in Kenya’s north- water and pasture and by November, region had enough pasture and wa- would move with the nomadic herd- ern grazing areas, brought on by the all mobile schools were closed down A PROLONGED drought ravaging ter, pastoralist children from northern ing families through the region’s arid, effects of climate change, have forced as the drought intensified, drying up the northern Kenyan towns of Garissa Kenya’s Somali community were en- dusty plains. The mobile school ac- many pastoralist children to miss boreholes and forcing pastoralists to and Wajir has interrupted a unique ed- rolled in mobile schools that followed commodated the traditions and cus- school. move across the border to Somalia in ucation system that was enabling the their families from one grazing area to toms of the pastoralists while ensuring In September, mobile schools op- search of pasture. children of the nomadic community another.” children did not grow up illiterate.” erating in areas with shallow wells Since June, however, extended and dams had to close due to a lack of to learn while on the move with their “Two teachers, with books and a Turn to Page 2, Col. 1 livestock. NCIC wants quota Yatta residents demand World Bank rescues system reviewed openness in use of funds Kazi kwa Vijana —Pg. 4 —Pg. 12 —Pg. 25 Participate in implementation Plans underway to process Troubled Tanathi owes PAGES of new Constitution: KNHRC fish in Kakamega workers millions ON OTHER —Pg. 8 —Pg. 21 —Pg. 31 The Link, May 2011 2 GOVERNANCE No direction on devolution AGRA funds From page 1 l Over ten bills required to actu- Government to undertake a thor- and joint authorities to facilitate finger millet alize the devolved governments, ough audit of staff of each LA to cooperation at both levels and The Task Force whose man- key among them the Transition ascertain their numbers and skills inter county coordination during research date was to propose implemen- Bill, Assets and Liabilities Bill l The government to set up a the utilization of trans county By TITUS MAERO tation mechanisms for the de- and the Intergovernmental Rela- body whose primary objective is shared natural resources (forests, volved system of government tions Bill. to oversee the transition process. game reserves, rivers, lakes), THE Alliance for Green Revolution as outlined in the Constitution l Employees of local authorities The body is to also audit assets sharing of existing assets in the in Africa (AGRA) and the McKnight has only succeeded in planning dissolved in the new dispensation and liabilities of local authorities provincial headquarters and Foundation have disbursed Kshs 55 numerous alternatives and com- to remain in office and the chief and ensure appropriate registers developing of joint infrastruc- Million to promote production of parative theoretical basis of Con- officers to report directly to the for all identified assets. ture projects (Water and roads Finger Millet in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. stitutional Provisions. County Executive l Office of the Deputy Prime projects). l The Kenya Agricultural Research It has left the real task to the l Officials performing national Minister and Ministry of Local The Provincial Administra- Institute (KARI) Managing Director people in as much as there is risk functions according to the Con- Government and the Transition tion to be restructured and named (MD) Dr Ephraim Mukisira said the of time and no clear directions of stitution to report to the national Authority to be involved in deci- the national administration with funds would be used in the next four their next engagement with the government while those perform- sions on the initial county budg- a clear mandate to promote na- years after which an evaluation will public. ing County functions to report to ets. tional cohesion and integration, be done for a possible extension of the Real concerns and issues such the Governor l The urban municipalities are to disaster management and mitiga- pragramme. He said AGRA and Mc- as Provincial Administration, Lo- l The Ministry of State for Pub- be categorized into three, those tion, arbitration of disputes and Knight Foundation supports Agricul- cal Authorities, current devolved lic Service (MoSPS) to initiate a with at least 300,000 (large) civil registration among other ture Integrated programmes which are funds, relations between the two process to address the anticipated and above; between 50,000 and functions. aimed at injecting changes in the finger governments, public resources, 299,999 (Medium) and those be- Clearly these are vague gen- millet production in the Eastern part of restructuring of public service to Africa. service delivery among others reflect the needs of the national tween 30,000 and 49,000 (small). eralities that require formation of Mukisira noted that out of the are not clearly placed in the re- government after the devolution The first two will provide simi- further implementation task forc- Kshs 55 Million, Kenya had received port in a manner that can offer of functions lar services depending on their es to act on before Kenyans can Kshs34 million while Uganda and policy and legislative directions l The ministry should also un- capacity, while the last category get credible guidelines on how to Tanzania received Kshs 10.5 million (See special report on Page 14 dertake a projection of human re- can provide minimal services as transcend from the current cen- each to assist in the development of and 19). source requirements for counties delegated by the County govern- tralized system of government to high yielding finger millet in order to Some of the recommenda- l Office of the Deputy Prime ment the devolved one as enshrined in enhance food security in the region. tions include: Minister and Ministry of Local l Formation of joint committees the new supreme law. He was speaking at the Kakamega KARI regional offices during the launching ceremony of McKnight and AGRA funded Finger millet and Legumes projects which was attended by stakeholders drawn from Kenya, Severe drought forces closure of schools Uganda and Tanzania. The MD lauded AGRA and McK- From page 1 night for the innovative funding which “We put on a brave face after some he said is aimed at triggering changes of our livestock left for Somalia and across the Agricultural sector in the others perished here right in front of Eastern horn of Africa adding that the us,” said Hassan Guhad, a community finger millet project would enhance elder for a pastoralist group in Meri, a food and nutritional security in the re- remote settlement in Wajir. gion. The official observed that despite “The school continued through finger millet being a strategic crop in July and August but we finally de- the region it has largely been neglected cided to close it down as community in terms of research and development members fled to urban areas while noting that the crop plays a major role others moved with their livestock to in diets of many inhabitants of Eastern Somalia. This severe drought has put Africa region given its high level of a stop to the school and the teachers Calcium and Iron plus By-sine, which have left the area too,” Guhad added. is an amino acid, that is limited in most The region’s communities are ac- cereals. customed to the regular droughts that He emphasized the role of finger occur in the region between June and millet as the food for infants, breast August, before the rains come from feeding mothers and people who are September to December. They tradi- recuperating from diabetics and other tionally prepare for the drought during illnesses noting that there is a major the rainy season but the latest dry spell deficit of the crop in the area. extended through the 2010 rainy sea- Mukisira outlined challenges fac- son and has yet to break. The drought ing the production of the crop in Kenya and extreme heat experienced in the as diseases, poor post harvest systems, day has dried out vegetation and dried weeds, competition from other crops, up water wells. low government priority and limited resources attention including lack of The mobile school system began processing equipments adding that in 2008 after Frontier Indigenous Net- with research and enabling policy en- work, a community based organiza- vironment the crop has great potential tion in Wajir, convinced community Children attending an ECDE class, a mobile school in the desert. Photo/Malachi Motano for expansion. leaders that secular education was vi- Mukisira said KARI provides full tal for their children and a key to pros- pastoralist children have completed sion, I spoke in the local Somali lan- the space between the two sessions support for increased finger millet re- perity and ambition. primary education and gone on to sec- guage but the children took time to gives the children time to reflect and search through combination methods In northern Kenya’s Somali com- ondary school in the towns of northern understand me.