•The nominees will then be vetted by the County Assembly's Appointment Committee.
•Sonko's reign was rocked by numerous reshuffles of his cabinet.
Image: WILFRED NYANGARESI
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja will be announcing his cabinet nominees on Wednesday.
This comes after the county assembly of Nairobi constituted its House Business Committee on Tuesday.
During his governor's address last week, Sakaja vowed to bring in people who are competent and up to the task.
The nominees will then be vetted by the County Assembly's Appointment Committee.
Sakaja had earlier said his deputy Njoroge Muchiri will be in charge of a docket just like other members of County Executive Committees (CECs).
Muchiri will be in charge of the Trade docket which mostly deals with licenses among other issues.
“Deputy governors don't have a defined role as per the constitution but my deputy will be a very busy man. He is an amazing man and a real face of the corporate world,” Sakaja said then.
Chapter 11 of the Constitution describes the composition of the county government and the functions of all the offices including that of the deputy governor.
The only functions ascribed to the deputy governor are set out in Section 179 (3 and 4), he is the deputy chief executive officer of the county and deputises the governor in his absence.
The only other place the constitution refers to the deputy governor is in section 181, involving the removal of the governor. Here the deputy governor becomes the apparent heir.
Sakaja is expected to do a delicate balancing act to please all players.
The current cabinet was named by former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko back in 2017 and some changes were made by his successor Anne Kananu.
However, before his impeachment in December 2020, Sonko's reign was rocked by numerous reshuffles of his cabinet.
The current cabinet consists of Winfred Gathagu who is the Commerce, Tourism and Cooperatives executive and the Lands and Housing department in an acting capacity.
Larry Wambua is in charge of the Environment, Water and Sanitation and Devolution in an acting capacity and Finance.
Lucia Mulwa is the Food and Agriculture executive, acting in Education and Sports.
Hitan Majevdia is in charge of the Health docket, Newton Munene is in ICT and Mohamed Dagane is in charge of Roads, Transport and Public Works.
Three cabinet members Charles Kerich (Lands and Housing), Veska Kangogo (Devolution and Public Service) and Janet Ouko (Education and Sports) resigned before the February 9 deadline for public officers seeking elective politics.
They were joined by Food and Agriculture chief officer Halkano Waqo and his counterpart in Water, Energy and Sanitation Mohamed Abdi, who was also an acting Devolution chief officer.
Former councillor Paul Mutunga is the Chief of Staff, Jairus Musumba is the acting county secretary and Lydia Kwamboka is the county attorney.