This archive report was first published on 19 July 2019.
On July 19, 2019, a meeting between three coast governors and the European Union's head of delegation, Hubert Perr, highlighted the challenges of coordinating regional development projects.
The governors of Kilifi, Tana River, and Lamu counties - Amason Kingi, Dhadho Godhana, and Fahim Twaha, respectively - failed to agree on the priorities for the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani Blue economy flagship projects.
The EU had committed 2.3 billion shillings in grants to finance some of the projects, but the governors had different visions for how the funds should be used.
While Governor Godhana emphasized the opportunities for his county in the blue economy sector, Governor Kingi advocated for a more regional approach, seeing the projects as part of a larger block.
Meanwhile, Governor Twaha expressed frustration with the allocation, calling it 'peanuts' and urging the EU to provide more support for capacity building in the region.
The meeting was part of a two-day consultative meeting to update stakeholders on 19 key flagship projects to be implemented under EU assistance.
Other governors, including Mombasa's Ali Hassan Joho and Kwale's Salim Mvurya, did not attend the meeting, but Taita Taveta's Granton Samboja was represented by his deputy, Majala Mlaghui.
