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| Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua |
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Saturday said that as the chairperson and Co-ordinator of Inter-Governmental relations between the National Government and County Governments including Chairing the Inter-Governmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC), he is facilitating the talks between the two levels of government to ensure consensus.
“It is an ongoing conversation. I chair IBEC and I am the fulcrum between the national and county governments. I will facilitate that conversation between the national and county Governments but the cost of maintaining the parks is very expensive. We have had from the national government to sometimes supplement the income that the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) gets,” he said at the Aberdare National Park after gracing the reopening of Treetops Lodge.
Accompanied by the British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan and other guests, the DP also had a game drive in the park.
He was responding to a proposal by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga that the County Government of Nyeri deserves a share of revenues generated by KWS at the Aberdare National Park.
Governor Kahiga had opined that the KWS should be ceding a percentage of revenue generated from Aberdare National Park to Nyeri County Government.
He based his opinion on Narok County Government, which gets a share of revenue collected from Maasai Mara game reserve.
But DP Gachagua said, “Narok is different because since time of immemorial Maasai Mara was run by Narok County County Council and when Devolution system came in 2013 the system that was there continued”.
“Maasai Mara is a different ballgame because of the number of visitors and it’s place in the world. But that is a conversation the national and county governments should continue having,” he added.
On sharing of revenue between Kajiado County and Amboseli National Park, the DP said the talks are ongoing as directed by President William Ruto last year.
“There was a presidential pronouncement as far as Amboseli is concerned. Furtherance to President’s directive, teams were set up between the Ministry of Tourism and Kajiado County Government. It is ongoing and is a complex matter because the figures involved. The issue that comes up is that are the county governments wiling -in case there are shortfalls- to also share liabilities to the national government?” he stated.
He explained that much as the devolved governments are willing to share the revenues with KWS, in many parks the national government has to supplement KWS to keep the operations of parks going.
“Are the county governments willing, when there is a shortfall, to chip in. We do not just discuss the assets we also discuss liabilities. We haven’t reached a conclusive decision but we want that conversation ongoing and my office is hosting that conversation,” he said.
By Muraya Kamunde