Mudavadi joins other leaders in criticizing Uhuru's directive

Amani Coalition leader, Musalia Mudavadi is among the latest to join in criticism of President Kenyatta's move to delegate executive powers to county commissioners.

In a press statement on Saturday evening, he said the move had been engineered by the President to paralyse, water-down and ultimately kill devolution.

He also recalled that draconian instruments used by previous regimes such as the provincial administration were supposed to be dismantled to bring about a regime of access to fairness.

"Unfettered executive power of the national presidency exercised at the county level by individuals annihilates devolution and creates instability,” he said, “loading the human resource function of reward and punishment to an individual distorts and invades the prerogatives of constitutional organs such as the Public Service Commission and responsibilities in governance structures.”

He also called out the unconstitutional move of awarding county commissioners the role of coordinating security while the Constitution entrusted the National Police Service with this duty.

“If the county commissioner has the prerogative to hire and fire, what is the role of the National Police Service Commission?” he posed.

The statement reads on, “This duplication and usurpation of responsibility de-legitimises the constitutionality of security organs in favour of administrative fiat and will escalate the state of insecurity currently taking toll on innocent Kenyans.”

The position of County Commissioners is not provided for in Kenya's Constitution and has been a matter of contention even before Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the victor in Kenya's past, highly flawed electoral process. Motivated by political gains, the ruling elite resolved to keep the provincial administration intact.

Other legislators have condemned the move which appears to have been a dexterously executed move to create chaos at the county level by having two centers of power.

An alternative explanation has seen the move as a plot to lay in place structures to rig the next election, yet again as has been witnesses in the past. This is effective in undoing democratic gains made so far.

Speaking on the matter, Mr Mbadi called on the President to respect the Laws and Constitution of the country, and stop issuing decrees. "Sovereignty," he added, "rests with the people of Kenya and devolution is here to stay."