Governors Form Team to Broker Raila-Ruto Truce
Tuesday, May 2, the Council of Governors (CoG) appointed Governor Kenneth Lusaka of Bungoma to lead negotiations between the Kenya Kwanza government and the Azimio la Umoja team.
A 10-member committee of governors will be led by Lusaka to facilitate negotiations between President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga.
Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga County), Ahmed Abdullahi (Wajir County), and Stephen Sang (Nandi County) are members of the executive team.
Others are Kenneth Lusaka (Bungoma), Fatuma Achani (Kwale), Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri), Simba Arati (Kisii), Joseph Ole Lenku (Kajiado), Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos), and Ochillo Ayacko (Migori).
President William Ruto will speak to Kenyans on Labor Day, May 1st, 2023.
Part of the CoG statement read: “The purpose of the committee will be to engage the leaders of the two political factions to address the ongoing demonstrations and find peaceful solutions to ensure the stability of the country.”
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Anne Waiguru, the chairperson of the Council of Governors. Stated during a press briefing in Nairobi that the move aims to resolve the current impasse in the country.
Waiguru stated during a press briefing in Nairobi, “As the COG, we are concerned about the political impasse in the country, which is why we formed the 10-member committee of governors to assist the government and opposition in reaching an agreement for the good of Kenya.”
A week after the initial bipartisan talks collapsed and Azimio la Umoja returned to the streets for mass actions. The CoG intervened.
Delayed Finances
Waiguru explained further that the CoG had reached an agreement with the Treasury Cabinet Secretary to expedite the distribution of devolved unit funds.
“The National Treasury has so far distributed Ksh.31.45 billion in February 2023 allocations to the 47 Counties. Currently, 47 counties are owed Ksh29.6 billion for allocation in March 2023, according to Waiguru’s statement.
In addition, the CoG determined that March allocations will be distributed by May 15, 2023. While April allocations will be distributed by the end of May.
The disbursements for May and June must be made within the first two weeks of June. So that counties can utilize the funds within the fiscal year.
The CoG also decided that this year’s Devolution Conference will take place from August 15 to August 19. In Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
“To ensure the full participation of stakeholders in the Devolution space and members of the public, the Council of Governors Committee today launched online registration for the Devolution Conference, which will take place in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, from August 15 to August 19, 2023,” CoG explained in a statement.
Governors Form Team to Broker Raila-Ruto Truce
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