Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya on Monday started his new term at the Council of governors as chairman with his first port of call being a referendum push.
“One of the key issues I have prioritised is the reshaping of the referendum national agenda in the context of devolution,” Mr Oparanya told his colleagues in his maiden speech at Movenpick Hotel in Westlands, Nairobi.
He said: “The council will purposely endeavour to drive the referendum discussion by engaging stakeholders.”
To sustain and shape the referendum debate, the governors have formed a committee to study the 2010 Constitution, as well as the proposed amendments so as to suggest their own.
The committee is chaired by Prof Kivutha Kibwana and Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi. The two governors are among the country’s most respected legal brains.
The county bosses want to take advantage of the March 2018 handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, which has been said will lead to a referendum, to push their own plebiscite agenda for more funds to the devolved units.
Mr Oparanya also sent a warning shot to the Treasury, promising a bruising war on the disbursement of funds.
“We want to tell Treasury that under my term, it will not be business as usual, especially when it comes to flow of funds to the counties,” Mr Oparanya said.
He also promised to ensure that the thorny issue of e-procurement under the Integrated Financial Management System (Ifmis), which has almost always ground operations in the counties to a halt, is addressed.
Mr Nanok, in his last speech, defended his tenure, saying, he had helped steer the devolution boat in the right direction after the 2017 elections.
He also complained about delayed disbursements to counties and what he said was failure by the National Assembly to stick to agreements on various Bills.
He specifically mentioned the County Retirement Scheme Bill, which, he said, went against agreements made on the pension management for county governments’ employees.