The advent of devolved units in Kenya should be viewed as engines that drive economic growth in thecountry. To achieve this, counties need to build strong governance structures that will effectivelyprovide efficient services towards wealth creation by sustainably exploiting natural resources in theirbackyards. Counties should develop and implement natural resources frameworks that seek toimprove the quality of life for every citizen. Further, counties should strive to tame natural resourcesconflicts in the country borne out of and made worse by continuing socio-economic inequalities; bycreate equitable and consequently equality in each of the devolved units.Time is now for our county to harness the potential of the diverse natural resources in order to createecological, environmental and sustainable economic solutions. The concept and spirit of devolution isto distribute wealth and resources to each and every citizen, whilst imparting a sense of belonging andownership. To achieve this a sustainably managed natural resource base is to be built in every county.Yet, many counties are yet to give much credence to the natural resources management agenda intheir development plans. This agenda is not conceptualized or mapped out in their developmentpriorities, neither is it clearly articulated in their sectoral plans. It is no wonder that the annual budgetsfor development allocated to natural resources management by county governments is next to nil.Counties need to review their development agendas and expenditures with the natural resourcesconservation agenda in mind. In so doing they need to pay attention to areas that need investmentand will attract investors to partner not just in the counties but expand the same across the country.Counties need to leverage their natural resources to foster healthy competition among themselves asthey seek to attract and retain both local and global investments in environmental conservation. Eachcounty should anchor this on their uniqueness and ability to position themselves as a hub forsustainable natural resources management. Land is one key natural resource in this agenda. Countiesneed to start setting aside land specifically for natural resources for such purposes as green zones,arboreta, nature reserves, county forests and wetlands. Development of policies that create aconducive environment for stakeholder participation and investors is a basic requirement. The naturalresources policy propels the county into a higher level of natural resources management for thebenefit of all.

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