Governor Munya: Why I will be the next Council of Governors chair

Meru Governor Peter Munya, who is among front runners for tomorrow's chair of Council of Governors (CoG) election, believes he is best suited to lead the forum "at this time in history".

Munya, who hopes to succeed the combative outgoing Chair Isaac Ruto, told The Standard that devolution is at a crossroads and the new chair must necessarily be bold, fearless and stoic.

He said the agenda ahead of the council is heavily dependent on the quality and character of the next chairman.

The election is set to be held tomorrow during the COG annual meeting at Intercontinental hotel in Nairobi.

Others who have expressed interest in the seat are Kwale Governor Sam Mvurya, Kakamega's Wycliffe Oparanya and Wajir's Ahmed Abdullahi. Mvurya has been Ruto's deputy for the last two years.

"Devolution could still be stillborn if we do not have a strong, passionate and capable leader at our level to defend it. The outgoing chair has done very well in that regard. We cannot afford to backtrack on the gains we have made so far including on the quality of leadership," Munya said.

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Like Ruto, Munya is seen by many as a 'rebel' and abrasive in his style of politics. As the chair of CoG's legal affairs committee, he has been vocal in his support of the governors Pesa Mashinani referendum drive.

He has also publicly rejected the idea of Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP), which the two Jubilee principals; President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto have been pushing for. Already, there is talk that his candidacy has raised alarm among top officials of national government, who are backing one of his competitors.

"I am not a rebel. I am fairly independent minded and passionate about devolution. It's not a rebellion, really, even for Isaac Ruto. People do not seem to appreciate that we have two levels of government. When we stake for the interests of our level, the other level will no doubt brand us rebels. It is normal," he said.

POLITICAL STRUCTURE

He said the fight for more resources for county governments is far from over and requires rejuvenation by the new leadership. He also claimed there is a "serious claw-back" of county government mandates by the national government, adding that quite a number of county functions have not been devolved fully or altogether.

"Most of these tasks, including revamping of Pesa Mashinani referendum drive, require strong and tenacious leadership. They demand passion from the new chairman. They call for experience. I believe I have all what it takes to take COG agenda to the next level," he said. Munya credits Ruto for giving CoG the "stature" it deserved in the re-organised political structure under the new Constitution. He said if the council had a less forceful chair, people would still be asking what COG is all about.

The governor said supported by the council, Ruto had managed to keep the national government on its toes as well as force substantial concessions from it. "The Government was a little bit arrogant in the beginning on the county allocation debate but through Ruto's leadership and our insistence, it accepted negotiations," he said.

The council's first preferred method of election is consensus. If it fails, they will have to go the secret ballot route. Munya, whose county is hosting the next devolution conference next year, says he will support the winner if he loses.