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{
    "id": 780193,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/780193/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 238,
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    "content": "would see that the governor elect would not have anyone to handover to him any of the instruments of power or any information regarding the previous term. There are various items in this Bill that I support. I will make my contribution strictly to the ones that I support in two minutes. The ones that I do not support are the ones that I will spend most of my time on. Creating a committee for the assumption of office of the county governor is something very good. This committee must answer various questions in terms of continuity. I support the committee having one of the members of the CECs of the county government or the county secretary who will be leaving office to ensure a full fiducial responsibility. It is important that this county secretary remains in office whether he is retained or not for a period of 90 days before he leave the office. When handing over to the governor-elect, there are various things that this Bill should consider. First, it is important to know the financial status of that county at that particular time. So, some of the things that Sen. Wamatangi ought to add in this Bill is a clear financial statement of the county as at the time we go for elections in that year. The other issues that should be included in this Bill, which I noted were not very clear, is the duration that this Committee shall stay in office as they go through a smooth transitional period. As far as the committee and the swearing-in ceremony are concerned, I fully support this Bill, but the most difficult and confusing question is on a conundrum. The way the governor-elect will be coming into office is through an election. However, when you look at Clause 14 of the Assumption of Office of the County Governor Bill, it seems to answer this very difficult question which was left out in the Constitution. The process that a governor got into office was through a constitutional process; an election. During that time, he was required to choose a person of his liking and who he believes can deputise him. However, the Constitution is silent on what happens when the office of the deputy governor falls vacant. In my view, giving the governor-elect the authority to appoint a person who he wants to be his deputy after the one who was presented to the electorate or his constituents has vacated office either by resignation or death, is actually not the right approach, this should be through a constitutional recognised process. I know the Supreme Court pronounced itself on this matter and on the issue of Nyeri and Nairobi City counties. They gave the governors of two counties 14 days to choose the person who they want to be their deputies and forward the names to their respective counties assemblies for approval. In my view, that is wrong. If the Supreme Court really wanted, in the spirit of the Constitution, to solve this conundrum, they should have also included the Senator of the county. This is because when the Senator, the entire county assembly and the governor is involved, it will be assumed that it is a picture of the entire county. So, if we are going to follow the position of the Supreme Court, I will recommend that Clause 14 of this Bill be amended to either include the Senator to be part of the team of the vetting panel of the nominee or go back to the ballot and let voters vote for him or her as their deputy governor. In the first place, the governor was not voted for alone; he was voted for alongside his running mate. So, the people, under universal suffrage chose to vote for a governor and his running mate. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}