Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
11.4.2.5
Devolution
The formation of devolved county governments in March 2013 is one of the biggest
changes in governance in Kenya in the half-century since independence. In princi-
ple, devolution may bring signifi cant benefi ts for those parts of the country which
were previously poorly served by the national government (such as arid counties).
In practice, signifi cant challenges are likely to arise before these benefi ts can be
realised, for example with regard to institutional capacity, the management of diver-
sity within counties and the negotiation of power and authority between the national
and the county governments.
Drought management requires collaborative action by both the national and the
county governments. The NDMA is therefore working closely with the county gov-
ernments to share expertise and ensure coordinated action by the two governments.
11.4.2.6
Coordination
Drought coordination structures were established in the late 1990s. In Nairobi the
Kenya Food Security Meeting and its technical arm, the Kenya Food Security
Steering Group, are still chaired by the NDMA (formerly by the ALRMP) and co-
chaired by the World Food Programme.
These structures are now being reviewed from three perspectives: the changing
nature of governance in Kenya under the 2010 Constitution, particularly devolution;
the current emphasis on resilience and early response; and the past performance of
these structures. Their limitations are generally acknowledged to include their infor-
mal nature (thus relying on the goodwill of individual players), the lack of commu-
nity participation and the fact that they tend to be more active in the emergency
phase of a drought rather than in the early stages when appropriate action can have
greatest impact.
11.5
Conclusions
This fi nal section summarises some of the main lessons learnt from the implementa-
tion and evolution of Kenya's drought management system over the years.
11.5.1
Early Warning and Early Response
Early warning is of little use without the means for early response, and this is by far
the more challenging of the two. There is considerable experience of early warning,
which is relatively easy to implement, but very little of structured rapid reaction.
And yet early warning continues to attract most attention. Early response should be
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