Just in: Oparanya Re-elected Unopposed as CoG Chairman

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Kakamega County Governor Wycliffe Oparanya

Kakamega County Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has been re-elected unopposed as chairman Council of Governors.

President Uhuru Kenyatta had reportedly backed Oparanya to retain his position at the helm of the Council of Governors.

With the President’s backing coupled with that from ODM boss Raila Odinga, Oparanya was seen as the most likely candidate to retain his seat.

Most second-term governors were also said to be fully behind Oparanya and so were those backing the Building Bridges Initiative report.

Mandera’s Ali Roba had allegedly been fronted by Deputy President William Ruto’s allies as the possible replacement for Oparanya.

But Roba said he would not contest for the lucrative position and would instead back his Kakamega Counterpart.

“For the record, Governor Roba is not running for any position at the CoG and will throw his support behind Oparanya. He is not aligned to any other camp,”  Roba’s chief of staff Ali Ohito told the Star newspaper.

Last year, Oparanya’s election nearly led to a nasty split at the council after Salim Mvurya (Kwale) bitterly protested, saying his own bid to succeed Josphat Nanok (Turkana) had been overlooked.

Governors were also set to pick chairpersons and vice-chairpersons for technical committees which include Human Resource and Labour, Finance and Economic Planning, Communication and ICT, Legal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations and Health.

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