Sunday, 30 November 2014

CIVIC SOCIETY GROUPS CONSOLIDATES EFFORTS AND RESOURCES TO MONITOR DEVOLUTION




BY ADOW JUBAT

                       
Pic: County Executive Committee (CEC) member in charge of gender, Children
and culture Halima Mohamed Haji (with the hand bag) poses photo with members of civil societies in Garissa County yesterday.



Civil societies working in Garissa County has on Monday set aside their common rivalry over donors funding and launched umbrella body that will see them synchronize their efforts, resource and oversight role over the local County government.

The non-governmental organisation said they were consolidating their efforts and resources to ensure that their efforts to oversee the implemented of devolution is taking shape as provided in the constitution so as to benefit the common people.

Speaking at the function that brought about 42 civic society groups together at a Garissa hotel, the newly appointed chairman of the joint civil groups known as Garissa Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Mohamed Khalif said organisations needed to work together as a team in order to keep the County government on its toes and delivery devolved services to the people as required.

He said fragmentation of NGOs in the past have made their impacts not felt in the County and North-Eastern as whole despite many of them undertaking several activities with huge donors support adding that they have now resolved to work together under one umbrella where their impact in improving peoples’ well-being can be adequately felt in a short time.

He said County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), which was formulated by the County administration will be the key yardstick they will be using when engaging the County administration for accountable to the residents of Garissa.

“We want the CIDP to be used as the roadmap for the projects planning, implementation and funding. We don’t want a situation where leaders develop a glossy development plans, then dump them and embark on doing things at their own political, clan or personal whims or interests” he said.

He added “Since the county integrated development plan (CIDP) is a legal document born out of the of County government Act 2012 and has the contribution of the wider interests of the residents we will fight to see it’s fully adherence during project planning and implementations”,

Khalif said under the umbrella, the civil societies will now work as one body which will coordinate their work as a team and network between themselves so in extension partner with the county government to realize their core mandate of ensure services are delivered to the people as required by law.

He said the Civil Societies in the county will form committees which will pursue specific agenda such as education, health, Water women issues, child right among others, which are of great interest and importance to the residents of the Garissa County.
 
The civil society chairman emphasized that the specific committees will also be formed to engage the relevant organs in the County and National governments adding that they will seek dialogue to engage the authority and implore way to support them than the tradition way of using confrontations.

The County Executive Committee member for gender, Children and culture Halima Mohamed Haji who represented the county government said civil societies are critical in any developing society and she pledge for a better working relationship with the local and international NGOs working in the County.

She said civil societies beside their oversight role over the governments they have always supplemented financial and technical support where the county government lacked them.

“You have been n integral part of our society since you have always shown willingness to help our people in different capacities and we as government appreciate your efforts as partners in development. I assure you of our cordial working relation,” she
said.

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