The Kenya School of Government (KSG) has launched the Institute for Devolution Studies (IDS), a groundbreaking initiative aimed at strengthening the capacity of county governments to effectively fulfill their devolved mandates.
Unveiled in August, the IDS is designed to enhance governance, sustainability, and compliance with Part 2 of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of Kenya through specialized training programs and consultancy services tailored to the unique needs of devolved governance.
The IDS offers a comprehensive suite of programs targeting a wide range of stakeholders, including elected leaders, senior management, technical officers, and frontline service providers.
These programs cover critical areas such as Management of Assembly Committee Affairs, Audit and Oversight, County Human Resource Advisory, and Enhancement of County Own-Source Revenue, each spanning five days and designed for specific county roles like County Assembly Members, finance officers, and municipal managers.
Longer courses, such as Governance & Management of Urban Areas & Cities and Local Economic Development Strategy, extend to ten days, catering to urban planners, trade officers, and cooperative managers.
Specialized training also includes emerging priorities like County Climate Change Funding Mechanisms and Disaster Risk Management, equipping county officials with tools to address environmental and disaster-related challenges.
Health-focused programs, such as Management Basics for Effective Health and Supervisory Skills for Effective Health, target county health directors and facility in-charges to improve healthcare delivery.
Additionally, courses like Cooperative Enterprise Governance and County Enforcement and Compliance address sector-specific needs, ensuring counties are well-equipped to manage cooperative societies and enforce regulations.
Beyond training, the IDS provides tailored consultancy and advisory services to support county governments in areas such as County Integrated Development Planning (CIDPs), public finance management, digital transformation, and public-private partnerships.
These services aim to deliver context-specific solutions that enhance governance, optimize service delivery, and achieve strategic development goals. Other focus areas include revenue enhancement, procurement, environmental sustainability, and citizen engagement, all designed to drive institutional efficiency and measurable impact.
The establishment of the IDS underscores KSG’s commitment to empowering county governments to meet the demands of devolution.
Interested stakeholders are encouraged to secure their slots by contacting the IDS via email at director.ids@ksg.ac.ke or info@ksg.ac.ke.
With its innovative approach to capacity building, the IDS is poised to transform county governance, fostering a new era of effective, sustainable, and accountable leadership across devolved units.