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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

I Was Wrong And Phil Was Right About Majimbo

Those who know me well know that I usually have no qualms admitting my mistakes as and when I make them. In this regard I was wrong about Majimbo and devolution in the Kenyan context as per the draft Bomas constitution being the same thing. They ARE NOT.

You were right PHIL. And I was wrong.

I have been convinced about this by an authority on the matter, Law scholar Dr Patrick Lumumba or PLO as he is known to many, who was amongst the architects of the Bomas draft and an aspirant for the Kamukunji parliamentary seat.

Lumumba says that there is a huge distinction between the Majimbo (federalism) system of government in the Kenyan context. This is because in Kenya it means balkanization of the country into ethnic and tribal enclaves.

However true devolution and with the variants applied to the draft Kenyan constitution it means a trickle down of political and economic power to the grassroots. The right Kiswahili translation for devolution here is usambazaji or ugatuzi wa mamlaka

Phil who also supports devolution in Kenya or Usambazaji wa mamlaka was of course spot on all along.

I apologize to all you Kumekucha readers out there for misleading you on this very important national issue. Kindly accept my apologies.