• The National and County Government Coordinating Summit is the apex body and top decision-making organ for intergovernmental relations.
• It is chaired by the President and with the chairperson of the Council of Governors chairperson as its vice chairperson.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
Governors have planned a three-day inaugural summit meeting in Mombasa after the ruling on the presidential petition by the Supreme Court next week.
The conference, which will also serve as induction for the new county chiefs, especially those elected into office for the first time, will be chaired by the President.
The meeting has been scheduled for September 14 to 16.
The National and County Government Coordinating Summit is the apex body and a top decision-making organ for intergovernmental relations.
It is chaired by the President and with the chairperson of the Council of Governors as its vice chairperson.
A wide range of issues touching on the intergovernmental relations between the two levels of government will be discussed during the high-level conference.
The new national government administration – if President-elect William Ruto’s victory is upheld – and the new county administrations will discuss a framework to improve their relations.
“That is where the council will discuss matters of devolution and disbursement with the executive,” Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr said.
Also set for discussion are the teething devolution challenges, including the late disbursement of funds by the National Treasury.
The Supreme Court will on Monday rule on the petition seeking to annul President-elect Ruto’s victory.
Should the court uphold Ruto's election, he will preside over the summit conference as he shall have been sworn in as the country’s fifth president.
But if the victory is overturned, outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta will chair the meeting pending a fresh presidential poll.
The governors are also expected to elect the CoG’s leadership during the conference. They include the chairperson and vice chairperson.
Currently, the CoG does not have a chairperson or vice chairperson.
Former Embu Governor Martin Wambora and his Kisii counterpart James Ongwae, who were chairman and vice chairman respectively, vacated the office after their terms as governors ended.
Also set for election are chairpersons of various sub-committees and the whip.
The council leadership is elected every two years.
Last Thursday, 45 elected governors took over the leadership of their counties.
Of the 45, 11 retained their seats, 26 assumed office for the first time, and eight were pioneer governors who recaptured their seats after losing them in the 2017 general election.
Of the new governors, seven were in the previous Senate, some were public officials in the national government, while others came from the private sector.
Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o and Auditor General Nancy Gathungu are among those who will attend the meeting.
At the conference, the new county chiefs will be taken through a number of issues, including understanding the devolution set-up and legal and policy framework guiding the devolved units.
“They will be taken through the finance element, leadership and governance, and soft skills,” a source said.
Edited by A.N