Meru County at the Crossroads: Some Reflection

byPalmer Thambu I have been to Machakos County four times since the last elections. The first was out of curiosity as Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua so quickly announced an Investors’ Conference and put out the ambitious plan for the New Machakos City. Part of the conference involved a cocktail on some bush next to the Maruba Dam, which was touted to be the centre of the new city. My subsequent visits have been a follow up of this and as a result of the much talk of all that is going on in Machakos. I have a lot of faith in what devolution, under good managers, can do to change the fortunes of the ordinary people in this country. So I look for any evidence that tells me that this hope is not false. During my last visit to Machakos on Sunday 2nd March this year, this is what I found at the place of the bush where we had cocktails during the Investors’ Conference last year.In addition to this 40 acre Machakos Peoples’ Park, a stadium has been rebuilt that hosted CECAFA games and hosts FKF matches with high frequency. Scores of Nairobians throng Machakos for these events and others. On the day of the above picture, the KCB Machakos Rally was the spectacle. Food and entertainment joints do roaring business on these events. Other VISIBLE signs of change in Machakos include 16kms of street lights from Mombasa road junction to Machakos town, police and country inspectorate cars and some 70 ambulances. Those not visible include 40 hospitals to have a maternity, mini theatre and x-ray services that will be ready by June this year and equipped by August. I have heard of but not seen tractors doing free tilling of land for farmers, rigs drilling boreholes all across the county. All this has been achieved within the first year of elections. This was the most difficult year of all as the government had to be put in place, then all the structures and legislation that would allow lawful utilization of resources. I am sure I will make many more trips to Machakos to witness and keep my hope alive on the potential that this country has, and what all our counties will become once we learn to put them under capable leadership. I do not visit Machakos because I have less love for my Meru County. I have asked loudly where it is I can go to see something to celebrate and shout about. I think the only ACTION I have seen is a road being prepared for tarmac somewhere in Makutano. The rest are plans, planning conferences, promises of partners for county roads and launches of strategic plans. While there is nothing wrong with the above, the first rule in managing change is to give people quick wins that excite them and get them the mindset to prepare to do the harder work. That is why people like Gov. Mutua quickly went to their election manifestos and rolled out an implementation plan even as they get more input for greater things. Gov. Munya (and even Sen. Kiraitu!!) had an election manifesto. I saw it. What was it meant for if there weren’t actionable programs that he could hit the ground running with? The result of lack of clear vision before elections and poor execution capacity is a year lost for our county. Resources allocated to make the lives of our people better are sitting at Central Bank while counties like Machakos are ready to gobble up their next allocation to take bigger steps forward. The excerpt below from an advert by the Treasury on the absorption of county funds tells the story For more visit a<"http://renegade.me.ke/?p=198">