Six County Assemblies passes LREB Bill making it operational now.

 The Lake Region Economic Bloc CEO Abala Wanga addressing the press in Kisumu today where he announced that six counties from the Bloc has passed the LREB Bill giving it a mandate to operate-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo.

 By Dickson Odhiambo.

   

March 3, 2019.

Six County Assemblies passes LREB Bill making it operational now. 

Six county Assemblies within the Lake Region Economic Bloc have passed the Bill making the Bloc to be operational now.

The Lake Region Economic Bloc[LREB} Chief Executive Officer Michael Abala Wanga says with the passage of the Bill by the six County Assemblies this now give the bloc mandate to operate.

Addressing the press in Kisumu today to give the update on the progress made by the 14 County Assembly that are members of the bloc on the passage of the LREB Bill, Wanga said Nyamira and Busia and the latest Counties under the Bloc to pass the Bill with Busia doing so last Friday.

Wanga says the other four Counties which had earlier passed the Bill include Kisumu, Kakamega,Kisii and Migori.

The remaining Counties include Bomet, Nandi, Kericho, Bungoma, Trans nzoia, Vihiga, Siaya and Homa Bay.

“LREB as a legal entity will now be able to achieve its dream of prosperity for close to 14 million people living within the Region. I want to therefore take this opportunity to thank the County Assembly of Nyamira and Busia plus the other four counties which had earlier on passed the Bill. The enactment of the Bill is thereby giving the Bloc legal mandate to operate,” Wanga says.

He adds that the remaining eight counties should pass the Bill soon so as to be reading from the same script as those who have already passed the LREB Bill.

He says the passage of the Bills comes at a time when the Ministry of Devolution and ASAL will be launching the National Policy on Regional Blocs at the 6^th National Devolution Conference next week in Kirinyaga County.

Wanga adds that the document will now be presented to the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Devolution and ASALs to gazette LREB as a Bloc.

“Pursuant to the Lake Region Economic Bloc Agreement Article 32 (1) that stipulates that the Agreement shall become binding and effective when ratified through the enactment of concurrent legislation by at least a third of the Blocs’ County Assemblies and Article 32 (2) that states the Agreement shall be signed and sealed in identical original copies by the respective Governors of the signatory Member Counties,” Wanga adds.

He further says the Bloc will now be legally constituted with operational organs working to deliver on its flagship projects and execute contracts with Partners and Donor Agencies.

“LREB with the help of partners will be able to make the Region an attractive investment destinations for local and international investors. A lot of Development Partners and Donors had shown interest of working with us but lack of a legal document for the establishment of the bloc had been a hindrance,” Wanga further says. 

The LREB Chief Executive Officer says the bloc has lined up flagship projects such as the formation of a Regional Bank and reviving the Maritime Transport and Services. 

He adds the projects have faced challenges because of this legalization process, adding that the bloc now encourage counties that they can now confidently make contributions to the Bloc’s Bank Project.

He says already a number of LREB Member counties have contributed about 800million towards the formation of the regional Bank by the Bloc.

He adds each of the 14 Counties forming the bloc had agreed contributing shs 200million towards the formation of the regional Bank.

“Now that the legal hitch has been dealt with I want to call upon donors and Partners who have been shying away to work with us so that we can achieve our dream of transforming the Region Economically,” Wanga says.

The Lake Region Economic Bloc {LREB} is comprised of 14 counties namely Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Kericho, Nandi, Bomet , Trans Nzoia, Vihiga, Kakamega,Bungoma and Busia.

The Bloc is a conglomerate of fourteen counties which have integrated for purposes of socio-economic development and regional prosperity.

The 14 Counties have similar ecological zones and natural resources; they have analogous cultural histories that date back to historical migrations and trading routes.

A partnership between the counties is both essential and timely and creates a practical framework through which county government efforts can be pooled to harness the abundant natural resources, build on existing strengths and address challenges.

LREB’s economic Blueprint was born out of the understanding that strategic connections between counties with shared interest seated in a desire for mutual benefit can be an effective intelligent means of increasing the possibility of creating notable development impact across several counties.

It has a vision of being a world class bloc in promotion of sustainable, equitable socio-economic development for a better life while its mission is to achieve sustainable development through coordination, promotion, resource mobilization, innovation and enhancement of equitable economic integration in the Lake region.

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