Barchok has 14 days to pick Bomet Deputy Governor

Bomet county will now be headed by Hillary Barchok, the former deputy governor.

He takes over from Governor Joyce Laboso who succumbed to cancer.

His is a story too familiar with the likes of Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga and Nairobi's Mike Sonko. They too started the journey as a duo, but ended up solo, albeit for sometime.

Kahiga has since picked Caroline Karugu as his number two.

Focus has shifted on Barchok, who like many deputy governors, kept a low profile.

Although Sonko has led Nairobi without a DG since January 2018, it is too soon to tell if Barchok will take his time or name one immediately.

The Law

On January 15, Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen said he will introduce a Bill in the Senate to allow a governor to appoint his deputy should the seat fall vacant.

In May, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the Act into law, giving strict guidelines on what to do should the office of governor and deputy governor fall vacant.

The Act stipulates that should the position fall vacant, it should be filled within 14 days. The expectation therefore is that soon Sonko and Barchok need to fill the post.

Nairobi

In April, Senators told Sonko to urgently name his deputy and stop defying the law.

Deputy Governor Polycarp Igathe resigned in January last year and Sonko has been operating without a deputy since then.

Nominated Senator Beatrice Kwamboka said it is wrong for Sonko to run the county without a deputy.

Igathe quit his position in January last year attributing the decision to his own failure to win the trust of his boss Sonko.

Senator Johnson Sakaja raised concerns over the manner in which Sonko was running Nairobi affairs, which, he said, hampered service delivery.

“It is inconceivable that Nairobi City County has a vacuum in the office of the deputy governor until the next elections are held,” Sakaja said.

Sonko was summoned by the Senate to answer queries over his lack of a DG.

He has said he is still consulting on the best person to appoint as his deputy.

Nairobi — the biggest metropolis in the East and Central Africa region with a population of four million — has been without a deputy governor since Igathe resigned.

Nyeri

Mutahi Kahiga took over the county leadership following the death of Wahome Gakuru on November 7, 2017, in a road accident at Makenji on the Nyeri-Nairobi highway.

But picking a filler comes with its challenges, if the reports in Nyeri are anything to go by.

In December last year, Kahiga responded to claims that all is not well between him and his deputy.

“My government is intact and contrary to claims by my detractors on social media, there is no bad blood between me and my deputy. We will continue working for the growth and prosperity of the county,” Kahiga said.

**Deputy Governor Caroline Karugu and Governor Mutahi Kahiga**. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Bomet

The county assembly leadership has declared that Barchok will be sworn in office after Laboso's burial.

A brief profile on the website of the county government describes Barchok, 46, as a specialist in curriculum development.

Previously because of no clarity about the role and function, deputy governors had been denounced as flower girls for the governors.

While it is still too soon to initiate deputy governor discussions in Bomet, the fact is it will not be easy picking a replacement as leaders jostle for the position.