The government of any
country is without doubt the single largest institution that can affect the
quality of life of its citizens. Efficient delivery of public services in
Africa and other developing regions has for a long time been hindered by highly
centralized government bureaucracies. One of the key reforms is the establishment
of devolution through the country’s government.
The government has over
the years initiated several reforms aimed at strengthening local government
institutional capacity to effectively manage their revenues and expenditures,
improve service delivery, enhance economic governance and promote citizen
participation in poverty-reducing projects. One such initiative is the establishment
of a fund to rationalize the central-local financial relations by providing resources
and incentives to local authorities to improve service delivery, financial management
and debt reduction.
The primary motivation
for the introduction of the new approaches has been the realization that past
initiatives to decentralize resources to local authorities had not yielded concrete
results, especially in lifting the population out of poverty, primarily because
the authorities were riddled with corruption and management inefficiencies, a situation
that still persists. In particular, local authorities continue to have inadequate
and ineffective oversight from the central government as well as from the
beneficiaries of the services they provide. The central government has recently
been experimenting with the decentralization of the management of various
service delivery systems so as to involve local communities in the management
of these systems. These new management initiatives should make local
authorities more accountable and efficient
Devolution or decentralization
is the transfer of powers from the central government to local units consisting
of the president, ministers, senator, governor, and members of parliament. Devolution
can take various forms;
a)
Administrative - For example the establishment of Government Offices for
the Regions, or, the practice of
transferring responsibilities from central government departments to
territorial departments of the same Government.
b)
Executive - where the prerogative powers of the Government are
transferred to ministers of devolved governments, usually under statutory
authority.
c) Legislative -
where law-making powers are transferred to other legislatures.
Devolution to county
governments is perceived as an important measure to ensure the fair
distribution of resources throughout the country and reduce the role of
ethno-regional factionalism in national politics. According to devolution and
decentralization, state power is executed at both the national and county level
with the objects of “fostering national unity by recognizing diversity” and
ensuring equitable sharing of resources.
One of the objects and
principles of a devolved and decentralized government is to recognize the right
of communities to manage their own affairs and further their development. This gives
the people a sense of identity and self-empowerment. This is because they feel
recognized in their contribution to the growth of their own county. Another
principle is to protect and promote the interests and rights of minorities and marginalized
communities. Hence the minorities will not feel sidelined. This promotes a sense
of unity as they do not feel as though their needs have been ignored.
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