Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is set to lead the Council of Governors (CoG) for another one-year term after a unanimous vote on Monday, January 20 at MovenPick Hotel in Westlands.
According to a statement released by the council, the governor will be deputised by his Murang'a counterpart Mwangi wa Iria whose term was also extended in the meeting held at a Nairobi hotel.
Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana will carry on with his role as the council's chief whip.
The meeting was attended by 35 Governors including Kiambu County Governor Ferdinand Waititu.
"Underfunding of county governments is an issue we have continually highlighted. The Constitution places the minimum threshold of county allocations at 15% yet county governments deliver the majority of the services," stated Oparanya in his acceptance speech.
Earlier reports had indicated that the tangatanga pact of Jubilee was pushing for the Oparanya to be ousted.
The current leadership was first elected in January 2019 in a hotly contested election that experienced a nasty split between various groups of governors.
Kwale Governor had lamented that his bid to replace the then CoG chairman Josephat Nanok (Turkana) had been overlooked by other members.
“I was not involved in the election because the position we had taken earlier had shifted. I question the integrity of the election,” lamented Mvurya at the time.
The post is considered powerful as it links the governors to the national government.
The officeholders of the CoG enjoy various privileges including access to top-tier national government leaders as well as various financial pacts that come with the jobs.
