By CountySplash Team, Kakamega
On Thursday, February16 , a Committee from the county government led by Bonface Onsonga MCA Khalaba ward, incharge of finance in the county assembly of Kakamega, being the chair, assisted by respective ward administrators read The Kakamega County Integrated Development plan (2023-2027) to the public to get public views in a public participation. In attendance were four community administrators per subcounty. The meeting was held at Kakamega social hall in Lurambi subcounty.
A meeting with the same agenda was held on Monday February 13, in each 60 wards in Kakamega involving the public in giving their views on the integrated development plan.
Article 196 (1) ( b ) of the Constitution of Kenya , 2010 provides “ A County Assembly shall facilitate Public Participation and involvement in the legislative and other business of the Assembly and its Committees . * Standing Order No. 120 (3) of Kakamega County Assembly Standing Orders states that “ the Sectorial Committee to which a Bill is committed shall facilitate public participation and shall take into account the views and recommendations of the public when the Committee makes its report to the County Assembly .
The county organized a programmes performance review and spatial development framework according to different sectors, the respective sectors were, the sector of agriculture, livestock, and co-operatives , the sector of roads, public works and energy, the sector of health services, the education, science and technology, the sector of water, environment, Natural Recourses and climate change, the sector of trade, tourism and industrialization, sector of land urban, housing urban areas and physical planning.
The Constitution of Kenya Chapter One speaks about Sovereignty of the People and Supremacy of this Constitution. In article one All sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya and shall be exercised only in accordance with this Constitution. In article two the people may exercise their sovereign power either directly or through their democratically elected representatives and article four further goes on to state that the sovereign power of the people is exercised at the national level; and the county level.
The plan had a division of years of the five year term before the next general election. In each year q target was set and a cost for the target to be attained was stated.
Different sectors were read. The first sector read to the public was, the sector of agriculture, livestock, and co-operatives the planned funds to be used is 10,640.110 million, The health docket funds to be used according to the plan is 27,244 million. The education, science and technology docket funds to be used according to the plan is 5,172.150 million. The roads docket funds to be used according to the plan is 8,788 million. The water docket funds to be used according to the plan is 6,900.5 million. The trade and tourism docket funds to be used according to the plan 4,840 million. The land urban, housing urban areas and physical planning dockets is 2,853 million
In other hand , the residents of Kakamega raised their opinions on the public participation that the development and project suggestions that they suggest are not implimented rather the county Government end up doing projects which they had planned and not participated in .
“We have been attending this Public Participations for years but most of the suggestions we come up with in terms of development are not being implemented,”one said
“It is frustrating to sit here the whole day discussing about projects and yet they are not implemented.”
The Kakamega County Integrated Development plan is usually made after a five year term by the county to plan for the projects need to be taken care of during the period. The plan keeps the project for the five years period. The plan is divided into six chapters.
The chapters are county genera information, performance review of the CIDPS, spatial development framework, development priorities strategies and programmes, implementation of framework and monitoring evaluation and learning.
