Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has been re-elected to a second term as Chairperson of the Council of Governors.
Waiguru was unanimously elected to a second term in office during a full council meeting in Nairobi.
At the same time, Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi was re-elected as COG Vice-Chairperson, and Stephen Sang of Nandi was appointed Whip.
Waiguru was elected Chair of the Council for the first time in September 2022.
Following her re-election, Waiguru stated that her priority will now be to ensure that all devolved functions and resources are fully transferred to county governments.
She promised to prioritise increasing revenue allocation to counties, assisting counties in improving their own source revenue, and ensuring the successful implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), agricultural value chain development, value addition, and trade.
Waiguru expressed gratitude to the governors for their confidence in her leadership and promised to lead the COG to greater heights.
“I want to thank all Governors for having faith in my leadership, allow me also to congratulate the entire executive and the respective technical committee chairs elected today,” added Waiguru.
The Chair stated that over the last year, the council has accomplished tremendous things, the most notable of which is the timely distribution of an equitable share of revenue to counties, with 2022/2023 being paid by the end of the fiscal year.
“With the continued need to deliver effective and efficient services to Kenyans, County Governments are committed to deliver on their mandate in a focused and coordinated manner. We endeavor to continue harnessing potential opportunities for prosperity to ensure citizens access timely and quality services in all the devolved sectors,” Waiguru emphasized.
She also stated that intergovernmental relations between the National and County Governments have improved, with consultation and dialogue, both in the public eye and behind the scenes, taking centre stage in all engagements.
“We held a successful first Biennial Devolution Conference in UasinGishu County and we are also working in collaboration with the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee to ensure the unbundling of functions is finalized,” she said.
Waiguru, on the other hand, noted that her first term as council chair was not without challenges, including ongoing attempts to reclaim Devolution through “retrogressive legislation and the creation of unconstitutional bodies to undertake devolved functions.”
She cited the recent gazettement of additional Water Works Development Authority, the enactment of the Community Groups Bill, and the “overnight passage” of the Facility Improvement Funds Act as recent attempts to reclaim devolution.
“We call upon the National Government and other Devolution stakeholders to embrace consultation, cooperation and collaboration to enable us serve the people of Kenya effectively,” she said.
President William Ruto praised Waiguru on Friday for fostering a harmonious working relationship between the two levels of government.
“I want to thank Governor Anne Waiguru for providing the leadership that has created better working relationship between the national and county governments,” he said during the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) National Governing Council (NGC) meeting at Bomas on Friday.
