Naivasha, July 25, 2018- A three-day County Peer Review Mechanism(CPRM) National Workshop for Reviewing and Validating Survey Instruments and Guidelines kicked off this morning in Naivasha, Nakuru County. The Workshop, whose participants are drawn from various county governments, Council of Governors (CoG), President’s Delivery Unit and various National Government Agencies, Departments and Commissions was officially opened by Ms. Catherine Muoki who represented Dr. Julius Muia, Principal Secretary State Department of Planning.

In remarks read on his behalf, the Principal Secretary said he was glad to be part of the country’s persistent quest for improved governance for the overall benefit of the masses of the Kenyan people across the republic. He further took the forum through the genesis of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) on whose back CPRM will ride on. APRM was conceived way back in 2003, with an overriding objective to ensure that a conducive governance environment was created in order to anchor the new continental development framework, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). In an effort to ensure potential traction with the leaderships of the member states, it was decided that a self-assessment, home-grown tool be established and that its accession be on a voluntary basis.

PS Muia explained that the implementation of the APRM commitments in Kenya was now a shared responsibility of the two levels of government, saying this was what had informed the decision to come up with a shared mechanism for achieving this objective. He gave assurances of his support for the process, saying there was not a more appropriate tool for collectively achieving this than through a multi-stakeholder, multi-agency and a two level of government-conceived tool – the CPRM.

While urging participants to put their best foot forward and produce tools that will truly serve the intended purpose and improve service delivery performance for all Kenyans across all  counties, the PS said that this initiative will not only enhance the implementation of the National Programme of Action (NPoA), but it will also help the two levels of government in tracking implementation of the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs), the Medium Term Plans, Sustainable Development Goals as well as Vision 2030.

On his part, the NEPAD/APRM Kenya National Governing Council Chairperson, Prof. Michael Chege, said the CPRM, draws from the relevant chapters and articles of our constitution that outline national values, objects and principles of devolution, Fourth Schedule on Functions of County Governments; the County Government Act of 2012, the Intergovernmental Relations Act of 2012 and the Public Finance Management Act of 2012. He further said that the mechanism was also informed by Kenya’s Vision 2030, the County Integrated Development Plans, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as Africa’s Agenda 2063.

Prof. Chege informed participants that alignment of CPRM with the national and county development frameworks was particularly important because besides promoting good governancepractices to the sub-national units, the mechanism aimed at tracking implementation of the NPoA which was well-aligned to the commitments outlined in the national development frameworks.