President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday, July 9, signed into law the County Government (Amendment) Bill 2017 effectively forcing Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to name a deputy.
This is following a provision that will legally compel governors to nominate deputies in the event a vacancy arises in their administration.
The bill which was proposed by Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen sought to cater to the oversight in the constitution and the County Governments Act 2012.
As per the law signed by the president, a governor will be required to nominate a deputy within 14 days of the occurrence of a vacancy and forward the name to the county assembly for either approval or rejection within 60 days.
The new law also provides that, should a governor die before taking the oath of office, the deputy governor will act for 60 days before a by-election is held.
The proposals contained in the bill have been heavily borrowed from the Constitution and include the way a vacancy in the Office of the Deputy President and how he is replaced.
In 2018, Polycarp Igathe resigned as Deputy Governor for failing to earn the trust of the county boss.
The Supreme Court issued an advisory opinion of 2018 and ruled that a governor can nominate another deputy within 14 days and forward the name to the county assembly for vetting.
However, since Igathe's resignation, the governor has failed to settle on a nominee, disclosing that some senior government officials were forcing him to choose a candidate he did not want.
Sonko on, January 6, nominated Ann Kananu Mwenda as his deputy despite a court order barring him from conducting official county business while under trial for corruption-related charges.
However, a month later, the County Assembly of Nairobi was barred from vetting the governor's nominees.
