The North Rift Economic Bloc (NOREB) is slowly gaining momentum towards beginning its operations that will see the member counties synergize and take advantage of opportunities that lie within the region.
In putting this into motion, the legal frameworks that are needed to see the bloc take off were revisited mid May by a legal team of County attorneys drawn from the Eight member counties.
The team led by the Bloc’s Ag. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Dominic Biwott and the County Assemblies Coordinator Joseph Makilap began a two day rendezvous in Kabarnet, Baringo County to scrutinize where necessary review and update the cooperation agreement signed by the region’s governors in October 27th, 2015 to align the region’s formalization of documents.
Uasin Gishu governor H.E Jackson Mandago EGH who chairs the bloc has been passionate about region’s capability of exploring its potentials as a unit.
According to the blocs CEO, the amendment of the constitutive documents will give room for further engagements which will aid the bloc in attaining a legal status.
“The bloc is currently working round the clock to establish legal instruments that will cement NOREB in law. Noreb could be up and delivering its objectives by now if policies and frameworks were fast tracked years back. But I’m glad to report that upon updating and aligning the agreement with other constitutive documents, we will have set ourselves closer to take off” reiterated Biwott.
The legal minds from the counties are tasked with ensuring that the three formalization documents, the Cooperation Agreement, the NOREB Policy and the NOREB Bill are comprehensive and well aligned ahead of sensitization forums for county assemblies and stakeholders, after which the county legislative arms are expected to adopt the policy and pass the bill into law.
Uasin Gishu’s county Attorney Stephen Lel chaired the sessions that will rubber stamp amendments which will guide the bloc moving forward.
County lawyers meet as NOREB eyes legal status
