- Ugatuzi Initiative says counties should not get less than 45 per cent of equitable share of national revenue
- The appointment of ministers, deputy ministers and principal secretaries must meet the two-thirds gender rule
All the 47 counties will be included in the Executive if a governors' referendum proposal is adopted.
The governors' Ugatuzi Initiative proposes an expanded Executive with the President as the Head of State. There will be a Deputy President, a Prime Minister and two deputy Prime Ministers.
Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said on Thursday the Cabinet will not have more than 18 ministers and 22 deputies.
Two-thirds of the appointees will be from Parliament and the rest from outside the National Assembly.
The appointment of ministers, deputy ministers and principal secretaries must meet the two-thirds gender rule and representation of special interest groups.
“Each county must be represented in government to have either a Cabinet minister, deputy minister or a principal secretary,” Oparanya said.
The governors further propose that the leader of party or coalition with the second largest number of seats in the National Assembly will be the leader of the Official Opposition.
“The Leader of Opposition shall have a deputy and appoint a shadow cabinet,” Oparanya said.
The governors, in a bid to give the Senate more powers, propose that the President should be stripped of powers to assent to any Bill if it is not passed by the Senate.
The Senate should also have powers to approve all appointments to constitutional offices, the governors say.
In what appears as a sweetener to MCAs, Oparanya said that conditions that apply to members of Parliament shall apply to members of the County Assembly with necessary modifications.
The CoG boss said their initiative seeks to raise allocation to counties to at least 45 per cent of national revenue.
“Five per cent of the 45 per cent received shall be reserved for special interest groups- women, youth, people living with disabilities, marginalised and vulnerable groups,” he said.
Oparanya, who spoke at the CoG headquarters in Nairobi, said that 10 per cent of each county allocation will be set aside for agriculture to boost food security with five per cent of own-source revenue allocated to senior citizens and children.
The CoG initiative is expected to compete with the BBI and Punguza Mizigo Initiative to win the hearts of Kenyans.
The Punguza Mizigo Bill now before county assemblies, proposes among other things, a reduction in the economic burden. The Bill has however been criticised for not conducting public participation during its formulation.
During BBI’s public participation, expanding the Executive to accommodate election losers emerged as a hot topic.
Those calling for the creation of more positions at the top argued it was the way out of violence which is experienced every election cycle.
Embrace Team proposed an expanded Executive comprising of a President, Prime Minister and two deputies and formation of regional assemblies where members of County Assembly from the same region sit and legislate from regional assemblies as opposed to the wards.
Former Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura also called for the reintroduction of the Office of Prime Minister.
Muthaura argued that an expanded Executive would guarantee “an all-inclusive government” and be a solution to the country’s ethnic divisions.
The BBI team is currently writing a report following the conclusion of public participation. It is expected to present recommendations to President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga before October 23.
The governors' initiative might encounter resistance from Deputy President William Ruto.
The DP and his allies have vowed to oppose any proposals for an expanded Executive, arguing that Kenyans should not go to a referendum to create positions for “certain” people.
The Ugatuzi Initiative will run alongside the BBI and the Punguza Mizigo Initiative.