Uhuru launches Sh132bn post-Covid-19 recovery plan

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday launched a Sh132 billion county governments' post-Covid-19 socioeconomic recovery strategy that will be implemented over three years.

The plan priorities agriculture, water and sanitisation, urban development and housing, transport, tourism, health, education, social protection, and gender and youth as anchor sectors that will help counties to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Speaking to devolution stakeholders at the launch, the President said the close working relationship between counties and the national government has helped the country deal better with Covid-19.

He said the stronger relations that resulted from the joint fight against the pandemic should be cascaded to other frontiers of service delivery.

“Together we have expanded our physical healthcare infrastructure, installed more medical equipment, recruited additional health workers, upskilled our health services labour force and deployed a testing and contact tracing system that has been a model for other African nations,” he said.

Resources limited

The head of State rallied governors to collectively implement the strategy, saying Kenyans are counting on them.

“This is not a time for 'business as usual'. The strategic plans at the county and national levels draw from limited resources that have become even more diminished due to the socio-economic effects of the pandemic," Mr Kenyatta said.

He added that the strategy is expected to drive real growth and and economic rebound in counties as the national government rolls out similar initiatives aimed at reviving the economy.

The President told governors to be financially prudent when implementing the strategy and called on oversight institutions to apply heightened vigilance to ensure funds are used appropriately.

“These limited resources must be used strictly for elevating our nation. They must be used faithfully and with utmost transparency and accountability," he said.

"If we waste this chance, we will certainly consign our motherland to many years of being mired down by an economic slowdown and social injustice."

Ugatuzi Tower

President Kenyatta also commissioned construction of the 50-storey G47 Ugatuzi Tower in Hurlingham, Nairobi County. The building, which will be the tallest in the continent, will be constructed through a partnership between the Council of Governors and the County Pension Fund (CPF).

Dr Ruto said the location will help consolidate the affairs of all State agencies in the devolution sector, enhancing their efficiency and efficacy.

“It will make it much easier for devolution to succeed. It will provide the paradigm shift that we have all been looking for - the bottom-up approach to our development, rather than the traditional one," he said

Council of Governors chair and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said the Sh132 billion strategy will primarily be financed by county budgets, supplemented by resources from development partners.

On the G47 Ugatuzi Tower, Governor Oparanya said the building is aimed at enhancing coordination of county activities.

“It has been our desire to enhance county government coordination activities [by having them] under one roof. Today marks the beginning of the actualisation of this," he said, noting the devolution headquarters will have 50 floors, housing offices of the CoG offices, county satellite offices, County Assemblies Forum, the Devolution ministry and related agencies.