Azimio, Kenya Kwanza battle shifts to council of governors

This week, all 47 governors will convene in Mombasa for a three-day orientation workshop culminating in the election of the Council of Governors' top leadership.

The county bosses will meet for their inaugural council beginning Wednesday and lasting until Saturday, in what is expected to be the final battle for control of the council between Azimio La Umoja and Kenya Kwanza.

The governors will vote to select their new leadership, which will include the chairperson, vice chairperson, Whip, and chairs of the council's 18 committees. It was revealed on September 11, 2022, that Bungoma's Ken Lusaka had withdrawn from the race despite having picked the nomination papers for what he described as strategic reasons.

"I had the ambition, but I backed out for strategic reasons," he told the Standard without elaborating.

Through his spokesman Billy Muiruri, Joseph ole Lenku (Kajiado) insisted that he in is the race. "He is talking with governors from both sides of the divide, and he is certain to get their support because of the experience he has gained as a second-term governor," Muiruri said.

Lenku previously served in the national government as Interior Secretary during President Uhuru Kenyatta's first term. This, combined with the fact that he is a second-term governor, makes him a formidable candidate.

"The pastoralist community has no representation at the senior level of government, and he believes he will represent them there."

Ahmed Abdullahi (Wajir) and Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga) are also expected to run after submitting nomination papers. After seizing control of the Senate and the National Assembly, President-elect William Ruto will seek control of the council, which has emerged as a politically influential force in the national psyche in recent years.

Political Sectarianism

While the Council has historically operated above political sectarianism, Ruto's insistence on Kenya Kwanza leadership will not only dilute an established tradition but will also set the stage for a mouth-watering contest between Azimio La Umoja and Kenya Kwanza for control of the council.

In recent years, the council has settled on consensus as the method for selecting its chair and deputy. However, Standard is led to believe that Ruto-aligned governors have been asked to vote along party lines.

According to reports, Kenya Kwanza is divided over who to support. The first group revolves around Governor Waiguru, while the second prefers Governor Lusaka, who is the Senate's immediate Speaker.

The Kenya Kwanza party, which supports Waiguru, is playing the gender card, arguing that she should be the coalition candidate, with Lusaka serving as the deputy. Nairobi's Johnson Sakaja has been told to accept the whip.

Unconfirmed reports within Azimio indicate that Governor Abdullahi has been approved as the coalition candidate to be deputised by Maukueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr, while Lenku is the coalition candidate for Whip. Other sources, however, indicate that in a spirit of compromise, it has been agreed that the chair's position is taken by a UDA candidate, with the deputy position going to Azimio.

The Whip is also fixed for UDA because the holder must consult with the Head of State on a regular basis.

With the departure of the two UDM governors from Azimio, the Kenya Kwanza coalition now has 23 governors, including Meru's Kawira Mwangaza, who is an Independent.

Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime, who is also an independent, has yet to publicly declare his support for a coalition.

Governors Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega) and Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa) have yet to take their oaths of office after being elected on August 29. The IEBC had halted the elections due to a ballot paper mix-up in the two counties.

Whoever takes over the council's leadership will inherit major challenges that have plagued it in recent years, undermining effective devolution implementation.

Some of the challenges include pending bills, late disbursement of allocations by the National Treasury, the transfer of functions, and the size of revenue shared between the two levels of government.

According to a report released in July by the Controller of Budget, the 47 county governments had outstanding pending bills worth Sh139 billion as of March 2022. Worryingly, out of the total Sh139.5 billion, both the 47 county executives and assemblies had Sh107.12 billion in ineligible bills.

Between June 2020 and March 2022, counties settled only Sh15.9 billion of Sh155.5 billion in pending bills, leaving Sh139.5 billion unresolved.

The massive backlog of ineligible pending bills raises concerns about the procurement shambles plaguing many devolved units, which the council must address in the future.

Aside from the elections, the new county chiefs will be guided through a number of issues, including the devolution structure and the legal and policy framework that governs the devolved units.

The governors and their deputies will be joined by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o and Auditor General Nancy Gathungu.

Of the 47 county executives, 11 were re-elected, 26 were elected for the first time, and eight were pioneer governors who regained their seats after losing the 2017 election.