The Coast Civil Society Network of Human Rights (CCSNHR) in partnership with Muslim Human Rights and the County Government of Mombasa has launched the third phase of the implementation of the Timiza Ugatuzi project (Kenya Devolution Program) supported by the British High Commission through ACT.
KDP aims to address the gaps in the selected devolved counties and assist in realizing better outcomes from devolution while strengthening county governance, inclusion, safeguarding, improving service delivery, and poverty reduction.
Speaking at the Sapphire Hotel, Mombasa, the Coast Civil Society Network of Human Rights Chairman Zedekiah Adika said that the project has been launched in Mombasa and has brought forth great benefits. It is largely a collaborative project between Wananchi and the county government of Mombasa and in some instances the National Government.
Several stakeholders were in attendance at the meeting, key amongst them, the Network Members, Officers from the National Government, officials from the Department of Health, and Finance from the County Government
“We are launching the project in the next 6 months and the main activities on focus are; the source revenue. We are looking to progress the accountability and effectiveness of the on-source revenue in Mombasa. At the end of the last financial year, we had passed the 4 billion mark in Mombasa to reach 4.4 billion whereas in the other financial year, we reached 3.9 billion.
He added that they are looking to cross the 5 billion mark in this financial year.
Adika said that they are also focusing on specific health facilities in Mombasa, including Mlaleo, Kongowea, Junda, and Maweni health facilities. he said that they are working to make sure that these facilities have the state of the Act facilities that can ensure service delivery is enhanced.
“We are now pushing for the placement of health officers in those facilities and also improving their standards as well as the provision of medicine,” he added.
He said that they would also be looking at strengthening civil society and the network that has been serving members of the coast.
He highlighted that they were going to ensure that the network was strong enough to advocate for the issues of the people in the region and also focus on matters affecting the national level, including the devolution process and the proper implementation of all roles that were supposed to be devolved.
Other matters addressed were about Pushing for resources to go into vocational training because the youth bulge and the issues around insecurity can only be tamed by a long-term system process like proper funding of education at the county level.
Malusha Abedi, the chairperson of non-governmental organizations in Taita Taveta County, called upon all political leaders to ensure that, even though the Finance Bill of 2024 was dismissed, any adjustments made to the national budget do not negatively impact the allocation to counties.
He emphasized that reducing the county allocation would significantly affect development and the fulfillment of essential responsibilities at the county level.
By Fatma Said
