Embu Deputy Governor Dorothy Nditi. Photo/ FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 18 – The Deputy Governors’ forum has changed leadership with newly installed Chairman Joash Maangi outlining the agenda for the next one year which includes ensuring peaceful co-existence between them and their respective Governors.
Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, Maangi expressed the forum’s commitment to ensure that devolution is nurtured and protected so that it benefits all Kenyans.
The Kisii Deputy Governor indicated that they will be working closely with all stakeholders of devolution who include Senators, County Assemblies and the County Executive Committees to discharge their mandate effectively.
“It is our intention to promote a good working relationship between the Governors and their deputies. The Governors and deputies are joined at the hip and we will work hard to ensure that in those few counties where there is a strained working relationship, there is harmony,” he stated.
“We want to promote and do whatever it takes to protect devolution and to that end, we want to appeal to all Kenyans that devolution is here to stay and thus there is need to nurture it and allow it to grow. We intend to work very closely with the stakeholders in devolution so that we may discharge out mandate in the counties fully. We also want to build on the gains already realised over the past two years,”
Newly elected vice-chairman Gakure Monyo (Murang’a Deputy Governor) stated the forum’s commitment to work closely with the National Government especially on matters dealing with health and corruption.
“We sincerely support the National Government especially on health because we understand that a healthy nation is a working nation. We will continue supporting the national government in its endeavours on health so that all the members of this country are healthy. We also support his Excellency the President on his fight against corruption,” he said. “We as leaders should emulate the example of his Excellency the President and work to be leaders of a corrupt free country.”
Secretary General Dorothy Nditi who is also the Embu Deputy Governor stressed the need for county government to implement the one third gender rule in their daily affairs.
“I know there is a national debate that is going on right now regarding the one third gender rule. We have seen Members of Parliament and other legislative arms of government try to come up with a workable solution to address this constitutional requirement and it is my prayer that as this is being resolved at the National Assembly, the same is being dealt with at the county level,” she said.
She stressed that this will ensure that the views of women are taken into consideration when key decisions are made.
We have seen a situation where most of our Members of County Assemblies who are women are nominated to those positions and this is a real burden to the counties and if we could have the public sensitised on the importance of electing women into positions of leadership right from the grass root level, then we are going to have the voices of women brought to the table when key decisions are being made on key issues that affect the people in the county,” she stated.
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