Ksh.652K pay to read newspapers? Deputy Governors want MPs to clearly state their roles

While appearing before the Senate Devolution and Intergovernmental Committee on Wednesday, the deputy governors said that majority are not included in the day-to-day management of counties. 

They requested a legal framework to define their roles as some are limited to only doing plain tasks such as reading newspapers. 

According to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), a deputy governor earns Ksh.652,742 monthly gross salary. 

"Less than 10 counties are effectively collaborating with their Governors. We want to formalize the role of Deputy Governor to ensure value for money. Why should a Deputy Governor be paid Ksh.600,000 if their role is limited to reading newspapers? We are not advocating this for our own benefit but for the future of devolution," Elgeyo Marakwet Deputy Governor Gladys Cheserek said. 

The Deputy Governors cited lack of communication with governors, which often led to exclusion from county matters. 

In turn,  Deputy Speaker of the Senate Kathuri Murungi proposed the County Governments Amendments Bill 2024, to allow the deputy governors to chair county executive committee meetings, assume the role of head of disaster management in counties, and oversight responsibilities for service delivery units.

In the past, several deputy governors have had strained relationships with the governors, with their differences spilling out in public.

Recently, Uasin Gishu DG John Barorot resigned after two years in office to take up a role in a firm in the ICT sector. At the time, there were claims of a frosty relationship between him and Governor Jonathan Bii. 

Siaya Deputy Governor William Odoul has laid open his differences with Governor James Orengo. In May 2023, Orengo was sued for sidelining Odoul in running the affairs of the county government. 

Further, an impeachment motion was filed against Odoul in 2023 for procurement irregularities. The Senators, however, voted to save Oduol. 

One year later, Orengo pointed out before a Senate Committee that his relationship with Oduol is beyond repair and he regretted the advice of Azimio's Raila Odinga not to pick him. 

“I regret ignoring the advice given to me by ODM party Leader Raila Odinga and Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga against choosing Oduol as my running mate during the 2022 General Election. I experienced the consequences just after election for the short time I left him to be in charge of the county as I pursued Raila’s presidential election petition,” he noted. 

Another case is of former Kisii Deputy Governor Robert Monda who was impeached, making him the first DG to be removed from office through impeachment since the counties were established in 2013. 

He was axed after the senators approved four charges: gross violation of the Constitution, abuse of office, gross misconduct and crimes under national law. 

Nairobi county was also not spared as in 2018, then DG Polycarp Igathe resigned from his position, saying that he had not earned enough trust from former Governor Mike Sonko to enable him work in the county.