New Laikipia Governor to be sworn in on Thursday
Laikipia County Governor Joshua Irungu. December salaries for 38 for senior employees of the County government have been frozen after they failed to show up for an October head count exercise. FILE PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Preparations for the swearing in of newly elected Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu have been finalized.
The chairperson of the local Assumption of the Office of the Governor Committee Karanja Njora said the governor-elect will take the oath of office on Thursday at Nanyuki Stadium.
“As a committee, we have been holding meetings since last Monday and we are all set for this event which takes place on the first Thursday after counting ten days since the gubernatorial results were announced by the County Returning Officer,” explained Mr Njora.
Mr Njora, the Laikipia County Secretary said the committee spearheading the swearing in ceremony comprises Chief Officers from various county departments, officials from the Ministry of Interior and three representatives of the governor-elect.
Mr Irungu will be sworn in by Lady Justice Florence Muchemi while his Deputy Reuben Ngatia’s oath of office will be presided over by Senior Principal Magistrate Angelo Rwito.
Once he is sworn in, Mr Irungu will be going back to the office he served between 2013 and 2017 when he was ousted by Mr Ndiritu Muriithi.
During the 2017 election, Mr Irungu, then vying on a Jubilee Party ticket lost narrowly to Mr Muriithi who vied as an independent candidate leading to an election petition filed by a voter but it was thrown out by the High Court.
Mr Muriithi suffered a humiliating defeat during the recently concluded election despite his exemplary development record in the county, a scenario attributed to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) wave in Mt Kenya region.
Mr Irungu who contested on UDA ticket garnered 113,783 votes against Mr Muriithi’s 48,563 votes after flying the Jubilee Party flag; an affiliate of Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition Party.
