Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has lost his position at the Council of Governors(CoG) in elections conducted on Monday.
Sakaja, the former chairperson of Human Resources, Labour, and Social Welfare, was defeated by his UDA counterpart from Nyeri, Mutahi Kahiga.
The Nairobi county boss was among a trio of governors who failed to retain their seats. The others are Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti and her Tana River counterpart, Godhana Dhadho.
Wavinya of the Wiper Party, who served as the chairperson for Industry, Manufacturing, and Enterprise Development, was defeated by UDA’s Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika.
Godhana Dhadho on the other hand has been succeeded by Baringo colleague Benjamin Cheboi as the chairperson for Security and Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru secured a second term as the Chairperson of the Council of Governors.
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi was re-elected as the Vice-Chairperson of COG, and Stephen Sang of Nandi assumed the Whip position.
After securing her re-election, Waiguru expressed her commitment to ensuring the complete transfer of devolved functions and accompanying resources to county governments.
She pledged to concentrate on augmenting revenue allocation to counties, assisting them in enhancing their own source revenue, and overseeing the successful implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Additionally, her focus will be on the development of agricultural value chains, fostering value addition, and promoting trade.
Here is a list of the newly elected committee chairpersons:
- Finance, Planning, and Economic Affairs – Fernandes Barasa
- Health – Muthomi Njuki
- Energy, Roads, Transport, and Infrastructure – Kimani Wamatangi
- Arid, Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL), and Disaster Management – Nathif Jama
- Resource Mobilization and Partnerships – Cecily Mbarire
- Human Resource, Labour, and Social Welfare – Mutahi Kahiga
- Tourism and Wildlife – Patrick Ole Ntutu
- Agriculture, Livestock, and Cooperatives – Kenneth Lusaka
- Water, Forestry, and Natural Resources Management – Andrew Mwadime
- Land, Housing, and Urban Development – Anyang’ Nyong’o
- Education – Eric Mutai
- Legal, Constitutional Affairs, and Intergovernmental Relations – Mutula Kilonzo
- Gender, Youth, Culture, Sports, and Social Services – Simon Kachapin
- Environment and Climate Change – Wilber Ottichilo
- Blue Economy – Issa Timamy
- ICT and Knowledge – Wisley Rotich
- Security and Foreign Affairs – Benjamin Cheboi
- Trade, Industry, Manufacturing, and Enterprise Development – Susan Kihika
