Governors reject Bill seeking to designate county headquarters

Updated Wednesday, July 31st 2013 at 14:18 GMT +3

By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU

KENYA: Governors have termed a Bill that seeks to designate county headquarters for each of the 47 counties as “superfluous”.

Speaking to the Standard the chairman of the Council of County Governors, Mr Isaac Ruto, said the Bill awaiting introduction into the Senate was "not necessary", because, it was “obvious where the county government headquarters are located".

“The Senate should not waste the time of this country debating on what is obvious. There’s no need to designate certain areas as county headquarters. That matter is already settled. There's no problem in any of the counties. Why do we need a law?” posed Mr Ruto.

The County Governments (Amendment) Bill, 2013 sponsored by Dr Boni Khalwale (Kakamega) is ready for debate in the Senate and is just waiting for the permission of the Senate’s Rules and Business Committee formally introduced into the Senate.

Dr Khalwale defended the Bill, saying, it will bring order to the counties “because some governors have arbitrarily shifted headquarters to their home areas.”

“In Kiambu County, for example, the governor has taken the headquarters to Thika town, instead of Kiambu town,” Dr Khalwale told The Standard in a separate interview in the Senate buildings in Nairobi.

But Mr Ruto said the headquarters of Kiambu Countyhad not been moved.

“(The Kiambu governor) Mr William Kabogo had a problem with the Provincial Administration. He could not get space to accommodate his staff, and that’s why he went to Thika to get temporary accommodation. But he raised that matter with the Council of Governors and we have spoken to the Provincial Administration. To the best of my knowledge, the county headquarters for Kiambu County are still in Kiambu town,” the chairman of the 47 county governors said.

Mr Ruto also faulted the manner in which Bills are brought to the Senate. He said the senators who came up with Bills without consulting the stakeholders in the counties were flouting the Constitution. He said Dr Khalwale was extending his personal fights with Kakamega governor, Mr Wycliffe Oparanya, to the senate.

“People should not turn their personal problems with governors in their counties into national issues, and try to address that through amendment to the country’s laws,” said Mr Ruto.

So far, Dr Khalwale, has had a fight with governors over the National Flag, Emblems and Names (amendment) Bill, in which he had sought to limit the governors’ use of the national flag on their cars, to their respective counties.

The Kakamega senator had through the same Bill set out the protocol of State officers, and placed the senators above governors, and also above the members of the National Assembly.

In the retreat held last weekend in Mombasa, irate governors told Dr Khalwale to withdraw the Bill.