Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru secured her second term as the Chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG) during a general consensus reached at a full Council meeting held in Nairobi on Monday.
With her re-election, Governor Waiguru expressed her commitment to advancing the full devolution of functions and resources while advocating for increased revenue allocation to counties. She also pledged to explore ways to support counties in enhancing their own revenue sources.
Additionally, Governor Waiguru, now serving her second term, outlined key areas of focus, including the successful rollout of universal healthcare, the development of the agriculture value chain, and promoting value addition and trade within the counties.
Notably, Anne Waiguru initially assumed the role of CoG chairperson in September 2022 after defeating Kajiado Governor Ole Lenku, who had been nominated by the Azimio alliance.
Throughout her tenure, Governor Waiguru has collaborated closely with the National Government to implement universal healthcare and subsidized fertilizer programs. However, she has also encountered disputes with the National Government and the Senate regarding devolved funds allocated to the counties.
In her first term as CoG chairperson, she advocated unsuccessfully for the Senate to increase the share of devolved funds to 35 percent of the national government’s budget. Nevertheless, under her leadership, the devolved units have consistently received timely disbursements from the National Government, marking a departure from past delays.
It is worth noting that this marks the first time since the establishment of the 47 devolved units in 2013 that the National Government has ensured the prompt disbursement of funds to counties.
Governor Waiguru has also been vocal in her call for the restructuring of regional development authorities and semi-autonomous government agencies responsible for county government functions.
