Wambora and Ongwae take over as Council of Governors bosses
Kisii Governor James Ongwae, outgoing CoG chair Wycliffe Oparanya, Embu Governor Martin Wambora and outgoing CoG vice chair Mwangi wa Iria dance during the council's Luncheon at Movenpick hotel in Nairobi on January 29, 2021.
The Council of Governors (CoG) has officially announced that Embu Governor Martin Wambora and Kisii's James Ongwae are its new chair and vice chair succeeding Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega) and Mwangi wa Iria (Murang'a).
The two were selected at a full council meeting at Movenpick hotel in Nairobi on Friday, a function at which there was no casting of ballots. They were appointed by consensus.
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos, who has stuck his neck out as Deputy President William Ruto's critic in the Rift Valley, was appointed the chief whip taking over from Makueni’s Kivutha Kibwana, capping a clean sweep for pro-handshake governors.
The CoG is established under section 19 of Intergovernmental Relations Act, 2012.
Sec 19 (2) provides for the election of two governors as the CoG’s chair and vice chair. The two can serve for a term of one year and are eligible for re-election another term of the same period.
Governor Wambora is the CoG’s fifth chair, after Isaac Ruto, Peter Munya, Josphat Nanok (Turkana), and Mr Oparanya (Kakamega), in that order.
Mr Oparanya was elected in 2019 and served as chair for two terms.
Others in the race to succeed the Kakamega governor were Mr Kibwana, Salim Mvurya (Kwale), Charity Ngilu (Kitui) and Dhadho Godhana (Tana River).
Prof Kibwana dropped out of the race on Wednesday, informed in part by the consequences of his decision to oppose the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) that is President Uhuru Kenyatta's legacy project.
Mr Godhana pulled out of the contest just before the election.
'Nine lives'
Famously referred to as the governor with nine lives, Mr Wambora’s rise to the helm at the council is a triumph of defiance in his tumultuous and controversy-laden time as the governor.
His political career appeared to have confronted a cul de sac when he became the first governor in the history of Kenya to be impeached in 2014, on corruption charges.
In one of the most dramatic impeachment charades, Mr Wambora was impeached twice by the county assembly and the Senate.
But Mr Wambora, who is serving his final term as governor, defied the outcomes and successfully challenged his ouster in the courts of law, which agreed with him and ruled that his removal was not in line with the law.
Committee bosses
The following were elected committee chairs:
- Agriculture - James Nyoro (Kiambu)
- Arid and semi-rid areas - John Lonyangapuo (West Pokot)
- Education - Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri)
- Forestry - Francis Kimemia (Nyandarua)
- Environment and climate change - Wilber Ottichillo (Vihiga)
- Blue economy - Fahim Twaha (Lamu)
- Tourism -Samuel Tunai (Narok)
- Labour - Wycliffe Wangamati (Bungoma)
- Finance and planning - Ndiritu Muriithi (Laikipia)
- Trade- Charity Ngilu (Kitui)
- Legal and constitutional affairs - Kiraitu Murungi (Meru)
- Urban planning and development - Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru)
- Health - Anyang' Nyong'o (Kisumu)
- Security and Foreign Affairs - Mr Godhana
