Sonko should pick deputy - Daily Nation

With Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko facing investigations and the possibility of prosecution over allegations of procurement irregularities and unexplained expenditures, the city county could be plunged into a leadership vacuum. And largely to blame, should this happen, will be the governor himself. Mr Sonko has deliberately dilly-dallied on the need to name a new deputy to replace Mr Polycarp Igathe, who resigned nearly two years ago, complaining that it had become difficult for him to work with the governor.

The county chief has several times promised to initiate the picking of his deputy, but along the way, fails to follow it through. His critics now accuse him of deliberately stalling the process so that he can remain at the helm and continue to run the city county all alone.

However, the deputy governorship is a constitutional office, whose choice must not depend on the whim of an individual. The deputy comes into office as the running mate of the governor, and should anything happen to the boss, he or she automatically assumes office. In case of death, the deputy completes the remainder of the term. In the absence of the two, the speaker of the county assembly is constitutionally the third in line to hold that office. The city county is staring at a constitutional imbroglio, as the speaker, who had been impeached by the MCAs but was restored to office by a court, has literally been blocked from resuming duty. With the MCAs determined to lock her out, the city county is in the grip of a vicious political crisis.

However, Nairobi, a county that is home to four million residents, and which accounts for a significant proportion of the national wealth, cannot be tied to the fate of one or two individuals. Governor Sonko has also continued to preside over a chaotic administration where even county executives live in constant fear of being axed. Nairobi must be pulled out of this mess and, ironically, the governor has a vital role to play in this. He must initiate the process to pick and install his deputy to comply with this key constitutional requirement.