By Hellen Atieno
The Chief Officer for Governance and Administration, Hon. Walter Okelo, who also serves as the Program Accounting Officer for the Kenya Devolution Support Program II (KDSP II), has urged the County Program Implementation Unit (CPIU) to prioritize activities that will enable the county to earn the maximum Level 2 Investment Project grant this financial year.
While closing the CPIU workplan preparation workshop, Hon. Okelo expressed his desire for the program to leave a lasting legacy and meaningful impact in Siaya County by the end of its lifespan. He noted that although several legislative documents are scheduled to be formulated in the workplan, there is a need for interdepartmental integration, harmonization, and synchronization to ensure their coherent use in future devolution implementation. This observation stemmed from the silo ownership of existing policy documents by various departments. He added that the Office of the County Attorney should serve as the custodian of such documents to facilitate easy access by all departments.
The Program Accounting Officer expressed confidence that the team would deliver the best outcomes from the program, noting that they are now at the stage of reflecting on lessons learned from last year’s implementation. He emphasized that it is time for reflection and charting the way forward. On public participation, he called for qualitative and meaningful engagement with the public. Reiterating the sentiments of the County Secretary, Hon. Okelo proposed using existing technical staff instead of outsourcing services that can be handled by skilled county personnel.
The Program Coordinator, Mr. Peter Ligulu, expressed concern over the County Performance Management System, which he observed has not been fully implemented for the last two years. He highlighted that it should play a key role in improving service delivery, as it serves as a tool for assessing staff productivity, and therefore urged that its implementation be prioritized and completed. “We should be able to demonstrate the impact of the program at the end of it all, which of course should be big and leave an indelible mark,” said Mr. Ligulu in his closing remarks.
The County Program Implementation Unit (CPIU) comprises technical officers drawn from various departments. They are responsible for implementing different components of the program across the three Key Result Areas (KRAs):
KRA 1: Sustainable Financing and Expenditure Management
KRA 2: Intergovernmental Coordination, Institutional Performance, and Human Resource Management (HRM)
KRA 3: Oversight, Participation, and Accountability.