New governors induction meeting postponed

A meeting planned to induct the new 25 governors and their deputies from Monday to Thursday this week, has been cancelled.

In a statement, the Council of Governors (CoG) secretariat, which though did not give reasons for the postponement, said the new dates will be set and communicated to the county bosses.

“The new dates of the meeting shall be communicated once finalised. All the 47 governors are ready to deliver on their promises and ensure that devolution is achieved across the country,” said the CoG statement released on Wednesday.

DEVOLUTION

The induction meeting, which is to be attended by the new and re-elected governors and deputies, sought to orient the county chiefs on the management and running of the devolved units as well as gains and challenges witnessed in the past four years of devolution.

The deferment of the meeting, comes in the wake of petitions lodged against a number of county bosses.

Some of the governors starring at the court petitions include Ann Waiguru (Kirinyaga), Ali Korane (Garissa), James Ongwae (Kisii), Dhadho Godhana (Tana River), John Nyagarama (Nyamira) among others.

SALARIES

Most counties, are also grappling with a bloated workforce, which has been blamed for the rising salaries in the devolved units, an issue the county bosses said will form part of discussions of the meeting.

A number of county bosses, a majority of who lost in the August polls due to a failure to deliver on promises made during campaigns, attributed the fact that they were pioneer governors with little experience in running of the devolved units.

The CoG said in the statement that the meeting will also seek to help governors understand devolution as a system of governance.

“This will include, among others, self-governance and participation of the people in decision making, social and economic development, protection of the rights of minorities and marginalised groups, accessibility of services, and public accountability,” said CoG.