The Media Council of Kenya and the Council of Governors have partnered to fully tell the devolution story.
It was, indeed, spirit-buoying last Monday to see the MCK Chief Executive Officer David Omwoyo and the CoG ICT and Knowledge Committee Chair, Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich, sign a working pact in Mombasa. And just like that, the two entities began the all-important journey to tell stories from all the 47 counties to improve the visibility of the regions.
The MCK/CoG Memorandum of Understanding aims at supporting the media to cover information from the devolved units in a way that is professional and ethical; timely, balanced, accurate and relevant.
This is because media plays a pivotal role in shaping the public understanding of the decade-old devolved system of governance through many ways: giving news on socio-econo-political affairs, providing platforms for public discourse on matters of public interest, educating citizens on governance, while evaluating and monitoring its performance.
The Constitution, in Chapter 11on Devolved Government at Article 176(1), says: “There shall be a county government for each county, consisting of a county assembly and a county executive.”
This means that the governor’s wing (executive) and the assembly are two independent entities but are interdependent. For example, the law-making (legislative) authority of a county is vested in – and exercised by – its county assembly (Article 185(1)) which also exercises oversight over the county executive (185(3)).
For a start, journalists who want to get the devolution story right must – as a matter of course – understand the relationship between the county executive and the county assembly. In short, it is referred to as the policy of comity. It defines the totally of a devolved unit. Any devolution story, therefore, fails if it doesn’t put into sharp focus the existing relationship between the two wings of a devolved unit.
In this first instalment of a two-part series, we direct reporters and media practitioners to some of the crucial aspects of the work of a county assembly.
Covering any parliament can be overwhelming. A lot of legislative mumbo jumbo and legalese are used, ever so often that some reporters ditch the beat altogether. Or they become ‘specialists’ in straight cut sessions such as Statements Hour and general debate.
To understand any county assembly, a reporter must strive to know the total number and names of members of the county assembly (MCAs) – directly elected and nominated – and their political parties. There is a bonus in knowing their personal backgrounds and philosophies, if at all. Why? This helps you in understanding their conduct in the house and may assist you in projecting their likely voting side on a controversial or heavily contested matter.
It behoves the reporter to know the officers and offices of the assembly, complete with their roles; something akin to applying the journalistic 5Ws+1H on them: Who does What? When? Where? Why? and How?
The house leadership offices include those of the speaker, deputy speaker, the majority leader, and the majority whip (and minority, where they exist). On the administrative side are the clerk, the serjeant-at-arms, and the directorates.
Take time to understand the house rules of procedure, also known as the Standing Orders. A firm grip on them allows a journalist to plan for coverage and predict timelines for story catchments. MCAs, reporters and members of the public who lack understanding of the Standing Orders are likely to be exposed or caught off guard in the general rhythm of the functions of the assembly, sometimes with dire consequences. A cursory look at media reports on the national and regional parliaments reveals that a good number of our journalists don’t understand assembly Standing Orders.
Then there’s the assembly legislative procedure. This is the path any proposed legislation takes before it is passed into law. The most notorious example is where a Bill is introduced in an assembly for the first time (First Reading), yet a good number of reports go out shouting that the house has passed a law. It is such procedural nudity, among others, that makes some assemblies and their members think that a sizeable number of journalists went through (not to) school!
Most work of the assembly is done by members in committees. A sound understanding of the house committee system, including committee types, mandates and leadership is a must-know for journalists.
You want to be the most respected county assembly reporter? Know the county budget process: Preparation, legislation, and implementation. Master the budget timelines, complete with the requisite documents and their sources. Spice this knowledge up with your incessant follow-up on the reports of the Office of the Controller of Budget (OCoB) (Article 228) and those of the Auditor-General (Article 229) whenever they are tabled in the county assembly.
In her County Governments Budget Implementation Review Report for the First Quarter of FY 2022/23 (dated November 2022), the Controller of Budget Dr. Margaret Nyakang’o puts it so succinctly:
“The OCoB expects that the publication of this report will help promote the prudent use of public funds and further ensure that information on budget implementation is available to members of the public to enable them to hold the duty bearers to account for the utilisation of public funds.”
One of the main reasons Kenyans toast the devolved system of government is that it decentralised resource allocation and use from the centre to the regions.
Yes, former USA president Bill Clinton’s political strategist James Carville’s 1992 line holds true to date: It’s the economy stupid.
