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Kara-UNDP Amkeni Wakenya Initiative
f) Science and technology innovations
g) Land reforms
h) Public sector reforms
Pilot County blueprints
The Kara–UNDP Amkeni Wakenya initiative was undertaken in six counties namely
Embu, Garissa, Kakamega, Kericho, Kajiado and Nairobi. The purpose was to build
capacity of County professionals and citizens to prepare County blueprints in
readiness for devolution.
During the interaction with various stakeholders in the six counties, several
questions came up, demostrating the level of interest and willingness by the public
to learn. Some of the cross-cutting questions included:
• What is the fate of devolved funds If they are retained in the new revenuesharing
mechanism, will they be part of the 15 percent earmarked for County
governments
• How shall we ensure that the mega corruption that exists at national level is
not devolved to the counties
• How will incremental devolution of functions be carried out under Section 15
of the Sixth Schedule and what will be the criteria for determining counties
that are not ready for devolution
• How will the cost of the forthcoming elections and the subsequent cost of
running 47 counties be met by the national government
• How will devolution process escape political sabotage
• What is the formula of getting good leaders
• What is the conflict resolution mechanism at County level
• What are the criteria of determining whether vetting panels will be fair and
independent
• How can the gap between professionals and grassroots people be closed
• Who is the CEO in a devolved government
All the above questions can be answered through a County blueprint developed
professionally and through a consultative process.
The six target counties under the Kara/UNDP initiative embraced the idea of
developing a blueprint for their respective counties and below are brief description
of their status and plans:
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Devolution and County Blueprints
Cross-Cutting Lessons