Bill gives deputy governors more powers

Governors and their deputies are headed for a major clash should a Bill before the Senate giving the second in command more say in the running of the county affairs sail through.

Proposed amendments to The Intergovernmental Relations and The County Government Acts seek to have Deputy Governors coordinate functions of the executive committee as well as service delivery.

In the new order, governors will have to consult with their deputies in the day-to-day running of the county affairs. Right now, they are assigned roles by the governors.

The envisaged legislation by Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen also admits the deputy county chiefs into the Summit, a body that brings all the governors together and chaired by the President.

Already governors are breathing fire with the chairman of the Council of Governors Isaac Ruto warning they would move to court to block the change should the Senate adopt the amendments.

According to the county chiefs, the Bill is part of a scheme by the national government to create political division in counties. They say there is fear in government that the council of governors is too strong and they would want to weaken it for political expediency.

“United county governments is a political nightmare to the establishment, they would therefore do all it takes to scuttle this,” says Mr Ruto, also the Bomet Governor.

Even the Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution faults the move. Chairman Charles Nyachae says Senator Murkomen has faulted the law pointing that drafting of bills for tabling in Parliament is the sole responsibility of the Attorney General and his Commission.

ADD VALUE

Senator Murkomen says that just like the Deputy President sits in the Summit, the presence of deputy governors will add value to the forum and governors should not see it as a threat of some kind. And importantly, the Bill does not reduce powers of the governor, he adds.

“When acting in the office as contemplated in the Constitution, the deputy governor shall not exercise powers of the governor, to nominate, appoint or dismiss officials of the devolved unit,” reads article 32 of the proposed Bill on functions of the Deputy Governor.

The Bill also seeks to create another body, Council of Deputy Governors where they will consult on matters affecting them and counties and they will be required to submit an annual report to the Summit and National Assembly.

The motive behind the Bill, the vocal URP senator said, was to hold Deputy Governors accountable in discharging their roles.

“Defining their roles will make them more useful to the people,” Mr Murkomen said.

Most Deputy Governors who talked to Sunday Nation in confidence regretted that although they played a key role in attracting votes to aid the election the governors,  they have been left impotent in the running of the county affairs. 

Chairperson of the deputy governors’ forum Evalyn Aruasa, who is also Narok Deputy Governor, accused their bosses of trashing an earlier request to have them sit in the Summit.

“The governors refused to allow us sit in the Summit when we requested for it, they should not complain now,” she said.