Deputy Governors on Tuesday petitioned the Senate to save them from the humiliation and wrath of their bosses who they claimed have perennially denied them budgets, access to meetings and unleashed goons on them.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Appearing before the Senate Devolution Committee, the deputy county chiefs, represented by a team of 11 of their colleagues led by Reuben Kamuri(Laikipia), narrated to the house team how upon assumption of office they were greeted by fire when they found a totally different working environment than they had anticipated.
“We are elected jointly but once we get into office, we can no longer work together despite the role we played,” Kamuri revealed.
“The issue at hand is about dignifying the Office of the Deputy Governor, it is not about competition but ensuring there is a clear-cut role,” he added.
The county deputy bosses also asked to be allowed to coordinate disaster risk management plans as well as oversee the implementation of disaster management and response within their respective counties.
In its response, the committee promised them a lifeline with new defined roles including monitoring county expenditure if the new law aimed at ending conflicts within the devolved units is passed.
In the bill sponsored by Senate Deputy Speaker Kathure Murungi, the deputy county chiefs will now be protected from being sidelined in the execution of county functions.
The amendment to the County Governments Act will now see the deputy governors assist governors in the general administration of county governments and overseeing execution of decisions made by County Executive Committees.
They will also be trusted with responsibilities of fostering intergovernmental relations and engaging with the public on important matters. This will help in ensuring transparency and accountability which has been an issue within the second tier government levels.
Another key win for them would be to attend county executive committee meetings with proper notice and appear before the county assembly to answer questions about development projects.
The Senate Committee on Devolution noted that the amendments will help define the role of the deputy county chiefs to see effectiveness in governance and ease cooperation.
In the past, there have been constant wars between Governors and their Deputies on the specific roles that the law gives them and to what extent.
This brought to light cases where deputy governors engaged their bosses in supremacy fights including instances where deputy governors support the impeachment of their bosses hoping they get an opportunity to replace the county chiefs…CONTINUE READING>>
