State House spokesperson Manoah Esipisu says Governors must at all times involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when seeking solutions to County issues at an international level/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 18 – The National Government has warned Governors against engaging foreign authorities at the State level since they do not run sovereign regions saying such talks takes certain decorum and protocol.
State House spokesperson Manoah Esipisu says Governors must at all times involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when seeking solutions to County issues at an international level.
This comes after Meru Governor Peter Munya travelled to Somaliland, a region in Somalia and allegedly reached an agreement with the authorities there about exports of miraa, a matter Esipisu says resulted to the Miraa ban that has since been lifted by the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
“The matter is really simple. The Governor of Meru, Mr Peter Munya, travelled to the Somalia region of Somaliland, and purported to reach agreement with the authorities there about exports of miraa to the region,” he stated.
“Now, whatever his intentions, good or otherwise, Mr Munya went and held discussions with a regional administration, without the knowledge of the Federal Government of Somalia, or indeed, without any consultations whatsoever or advice from the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs – in which the mandate to manage our foreign relations is vested.”
Esipisu during a briefing to journalists on Sunday said Governor Munya’s visit was seen as if the Kenya Government recognises Somaliland as an Independent State, and it only took the intervention of President Uhuru Kenyatta during the IGAD summit in Mogadishu.
“Governors, including Mr Munya should understand clearly that they do not run sovereign states and cannot hold discussions with sovereign government entities in another country without, in the first instance, consultations with our foreign ministry, and importantly, authorities in the countries in which they wish to engage,” he asserted.
He pointed out that: “Talking to governments takes a certain decorum and protocol. It is not like talking to a private enterprise. County governments are regional administrations in the Republic of Kenya. They do not hold sovereign power.”
As Governor Munya’s lesson shows, he said decisions taken without proper consultations or advise end up causing crises and discomfort, “when there is really no reason for either.”
The matter though already solved has been termed as political.
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