The Council of Governors (CoG) has elected Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi as the new chairperson.
In an exercise conducted on Monday, October 7, at Safari Park, Nairobi, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga was elected the vice chairperson.
Abdullahi will take over from Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, whose tenure is expiring after serving for two terms.
Among those who were in the race to succeed Waiguru included Kahiga, Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki, his Kajiado counterpart Joseph Ole Lenku, and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
In the Monday elections, Governor Njuki retained his position as the chairman of the CoG Health Committee after losing the race for the overall chairperson of the council.
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Waiguru was re-elected the chairperson of the Council of Governors on October 2, 2023, to serve her final term.
While making her last State of Devolution address, the Kirinyaga governor stated that in the financial year 2023/24, county governments generated Ksh58.95 billion in own-source revenue, reflecting a 55.91% increase from the previous year.
She further disclosed that counties continued to prioritize health, with the workforce in public facilities increasing to 62,965.
"In the financial year under review, counties employed an additional 455 doctors, 618 clinical officers, and 1,568 nurses, while 890 doctors were released for postgraduate training," Waiguru stated.
"Nurses constitute the largest portion of the workforce at 48%, followed by clinical officers at 14%, and medical doctors and specialists at 6.9%. Other health cadres make up 31.1% of the workforce."
At the same time, Waiguru noted that counties are prioritizing education, with over 1,200 vocational training centers and a 2.22 percent increase in pre-primary enrollment.
The chairperson of the council serves a one-year term and is eligible for re-election for an additional year.
CoG comprises the governors of the 47 counties, whose main function is the promotion of visionary leadership on matters of interest to county governments.
Below is a breakdown of the new Council of Governors leadership after the elections held on Monday:
Chairperson - Ahmed Abdulahi (Wajir)
Vice Chair - Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri)
Chief Whip - Stephen Sang' (Nandi)
Health - Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi)
Agriculture - Kenneth Lusaka (Bungoma)
Legal - Ochilo Ayako (Migori)
Finance - Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega)
Environment - Wilber Otichilo (Vihiga)
Arid and Semi-arid - Nadhif Jamah (Garissa)
Blue Economy - Paul Otuoma (Busia)
Education - Eric Mutai (Kericho)
Gender - Simon Kachapin (West Pokot)
Human Resource - Johnson Sakaja (Nairobi)
ICT - Wesley Rotich (Elgeyo Marakwet)
Land and Housing - Peter Anyang' Nyong'o (Kisumu)
Resource Mobilization - Simba Arati (Kisii)
Security - Benjamin Cheboi (Baringo)
Tourism - Patrick Ole Ntutu (Narok)
Trade - Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos)
Transport: Mohamed Mohamud Ali (Marsabit)
Water - Joshua Irungu (Laikipia)
