CoG sets date for induction of new governors, deputies

Council of Governors chairman Josphat Nanok. Photo: Beverlyne Musili, Standard

The Council of Governors (CoG) will hold a four day induction conference for newly elected governors and deputy governors immediately after the General Election.

The forum, scheduled from September 4-7 in Mombasa, will be used to align the visions of the new county bosses to the spirit and principles of devolution.

During the induction conference, the new governors and deputy governors will be taken through the challenges experienced by pioneer county governments as well as offer a perfect opportunity to remedy the wrongs and seek consultative interventions that will guarantee and secure the place of devolution in Kenya.

"In order to address this at the onset, the induction will inform, share experiences and create a working rapport between the new governors and deputy governors, the national government, donors and the private sector," a statement by CoG Director of Communications Andrew Teyie read.

According to Teyie, the pioneer County Governments have set pace for the upcoming regimes to follow and thus the next team of county leaders have a duty to ensure that the gains made between 2013 and 2017 are safeguarded and that the momentum for the successful implementation of the devolved system of governance continues.

The exercise will also bring new county officials up to speed on a whole range of policies and legislation that apply to their roles and provide them with a strong understanding of the dynamics in the devolved system of governance.

"The program will cover the experiences for the first pioneer county governments; structures within the county governments; intergovernmental relations structures and practice; development planning and service delivery; legal and policy framework for accountability and oversight; and leadership and integrity," he said.

Some of the governors will not make it back after August 8, having lost in party primaries while other incumbents have replaced their deputies; meaning that there will be scores of new county chiefs.

And with new administration in place, the governors are set to replace county executive members who will be tasked with implementing visions of their chiefs, necessitating the induction seminar to ensure the gains made under the pioneer counties are not washed away while also learning from the mistakes of the current regimes.

Those who will have retained their seats will also use the forum to share their experiences to the new comers.