Your Excellency Governor? Power quest rages

By JOHN OYWA and MOSES MICHIRA

The 47 governors have acquired a new title, likely to further fragment their already sour relationship with the national government.

They will now be referred to as ‘Your Excellency’ a revered title only reserved for the Head of State, his deputy, and ambassadors.

Senior Government officials attending an induction conference for the new county bosses at a Naivasha resort yesterday immediately started using the new title to address them.

It was not clear whether the new title is provided for in the Constitution, but governors who spoke to The Standard said they unanimously settled on it after consultations.

Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti and his Bomet counterpart Isaac Rutto said the new title befits them.

“We are the head of county governments. This is why we have resisted attempts by the national Government to treat us as if we are junior to county commissioners,” said Mr Ruto.

 He added: “There are 48 governments - one national and 47 county governments. We must be accorded the respect we deserve.” But as the governors relentlessly pushed for supremacy in the new dispensation, their deputies were grumbling that they had been ignored.

Most deputy governors claimed State officers were only addressing issues affecting governors.

They complained they had not been assigned any roles by governors and did not know their duties under the devolved system.

Meanwhile, civil servants joining county governments are likely to take a pay cut after harmonisation of salaries with those of local authorities staff.

Remuneration guidelines provided by the Public Service Commission show the salaries would be preserved within the transition, but the counties would have a free hand to manage its wage bill.