President Uhuru Kenyatta just handed Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i new powers in his latest changes. This brings Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi to the heart of the executive.
According to the executive order dated Monday this week, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich will deputise Matiang’i in the Cabinet sub-committee.
Reporting to the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee is a technical team comprising 14 princiapal secretaries to be known as the National Development Implementation Technical Committee.
The committee to be chaired by Interior PS Karanja Kibicho comprises PSs overseeing the Big Four Agenda. It also brings on board Solicitor General Ken Ogeto and Head of Presidential Delivery Unit Nzioka Waita.
The Kibicho led-team will propose budgetary provisions in annual ministerial budgets and medium-term expenditure framework for priority initiatives. The team will also draw up an implementation calendar of critical government projects across the country.
It will also prepare accurate monthly progess reports on government projects and report to the Matiang’i-led Cabinet sub-committee.
At the level of the defunct provincial administration, the President has strengthened the role of regional commissioners, making them chairmen of a new body called Regional Development Implementation Coordination Committee. At this level, the committee will coordinate and supervise the implementation of national government projects being undertaken at the regional level.
It would comprise all regional directors of ministries and parastatals and a senior director of the presidential delivery unit.
At the county level, there would be the County Development and Implementation Coordination Committee to be chaired by the county commissioner.
To ensure timely implementation of national government projects, the committee will hold forums to foster public participation at the grassroots. And to effectively rally Kenyans behind government development plans, the county commissioners will conduct regular public barazas and Nyumba Kumi to educate the public on the benefits of such projects.
This will involve “accessible avenues for broader public participation and feedback with respect to all national government programmes and projects,” the executive order says.
In a second executive order regarding the management and coordination of national transport and safety, Uhuru moved all NTSA operations to the Interior Ministry.