Governors of the 47 counties have rallied behind President Uhuru Kenyatta in the fight against terror and efforts to restore security to the country.
The Governors also said that they have no problem working with county commissioners as long as they adhere to the law of the land.
At a summit at State House Nairobi which lasted for over five hours bringing together leaders of the National and County governments, Governors said security was a bipartisan issue and they support all efforts by President Kenyatta to deliver stability.
“In this issue of security we are working together, if we share information and move together then we are able to make our country safe,” said the chairman of the security committee of the Council of Governors who is also the Tana River Governor Hussein Dhado.
The Governors said they understand the challenges facing the country and that as leaders they are keen to ensure the country is safe for efficient and prompt service delivery.
They urged the national Government to formulate a policy on how to deal with radicalization so as to sensitize the youth on the importance of national cohesion.
“Issues of shortage of fuel by our security officers need not arise, given the situation of the country’s security, we feel we need to have a proper structure which will help us have a foundation on how to help our youth,” Governors Dhado further said.
Saying insecurity has adversely affected the tourism industry of which most counties depend on, the Governors proposed that a forum be scheduled so as to elevate the issue of security to the national level without politicizing it.
“The issue of security should be a bipartisan national issue, it should not be looked on a political angle,’ said Makueni Governor Progfessor Kivutha Kibwana.
The Governor of Bomet Isaac Rutto who is also Chairman of the Council of Governors, said “We have no problem working with executive orders which are intended to streamline national Government activities,”.
The meeting agreed that both national and county Governments are serving the interests of Kenyans and therefore there is needs to harmoniously work together without causing friction.
“We are all working for the same people and the same country, let us synchronize and harmonize our programmes so as to build a better nation,” they said.
President Kenyatta expressed his gratitude to the county governments for working closely with the Government in dealing with insecurity.
He said security is not the issue of national government alone but for all leaders who have the interest of the country at heart.
“We need to scale it up and see how best our security team can work with the county governments to boost security in all corners of this republic, “the President said.
He said County Commissioners will make it easier for Governors in dealing with issues of insecurity as they can always meet and discuss ways and means of improving security in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
“Instead of you trying to get the county security commander who is busy at the ground, you now can hold regular meetings with county commissioners of whom you are sure will coordinate security for you to safely deliver your services to wananchi,” President Kenyatta stated.
He further stated that county commissioners need to regularly meet with the Governors of their respective areas and agree on how to best improve service delivery including disaster management.
He said there is need to build an environment where agreed targets in both national and county Governments can be achieved.
“We need to do what we can to utilize the available resources” the President said.
The Chairman of the finance Committee of the council of Governors who is also the Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdulahi said the national treasury has remitted all allocations required up to date.
Also present were the Deputy President William Ruto, Cabinet Secretaries, Constitutional Implementation Commission Chairman Charles Nyachae, chairman of Commission on Revenue Allocation Micah Cheserem.
