The Murang’a County Government has established a new department for devolution and external linkages.
The new department is meant to oversee the implementation of the World Bank’s support for devolution under a programme dubbed the Kenya Devolution Support Programme (KDSP II).
The office of the Principal Secretary State Department for Devolution had advised counties which are listed to benefit from KDSP II, Murang’a included, to establish a department for devolution so as to enable the absorption of the funds set for the programme.
Governor Irungu Kang’ata stated in a press statement on Tuesday that the newly created department has necessitated the merger of two departments of trade and agriculture.
Kang’ata indicated that the merger of the two departments would create one department, namely Agriculture, Trade, Industrialization, and Cooperatives, which would be headed by County Executive Member (CEM) Paul Kimani Mugo.
“The chief officers to serve in the merged departments will be Dr. Apollo Kamau and Vainusha Yussuff. The two chief officers will discharge their duties that they were handling in the hitherto separate departments,” Kang’ata highlighted in the statement.
On the other hand, the newly created Department of Devolution and External Linkages will be headed by Dr. Kamau Kiringai.
The roles of Kiringai will include coordination and facilitation of intergovernmental relations between the national and county governments and facilitating the integration of objects and values of devolution in the county’s development process.
He will also be entrusted to monitor, evaluate, and oversee the management of devolved functions under the county government and mobilise funds, especially with partners outside the traditional sources of revenue.
At the same time, the department will be expected to establish external linkages nationally and internationally to provide the county with both financial and technical support.
By Bernard Munyao
