President William Ruto made a breakthrough in ending the impasse between him and the Council of Governors on Friday, February 10.
After the county chiefs decided to drop all legal actions challenging his directives, President William Ruto made a breakthrough in ending the impasse between him and the Council of Governors on Friday, February 10.
To prevent scenarios where county operations were halted, Ruto pledged to ensure the timely disbursement of county funds during a meeting in Naivasha.
In addition, the President promised to work with the counties to develop their capacity to generate revenue independently rather than relying solely on the exchequer.
Instead of the constant back and forth between the two levels of government, he urged unity and commitment to work on meaningful projects that affect the electorate's lives.
The President pledged, “We have undertaken to ensure that revenue transfer is timely, predictable, and fully compliant with the law.” The 47 governors likewise consented to cooperate with the national government by looking into diplomatic options for resolving differences.
The meeting resolved to end the ambiguity surrounding the management of functions assigned to state corporations at the devolved levels, according to Council of Governors Chair Anne Waiguru.
Anne Waiguru stated, "We will be withdrawing all of the cases brought by the Council of Governors against the national government and the few claims brought by the federal government against us.
The Naivasha Summit was one of the government's interventions to break the deadlock. It was the second gathering in two months. The government steadfastly stated that it could only afford Ksh380 billion due to the economic situation, despite the governors' demands for Ksh425 billion.
Governors were urged to accept the amount offered to them by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who was quoted as saying that the state had nothing more to offer.
As the meeting with governors enters day two in Naivasha, discussions to reach a final agreement on the rightful share were planned to take place on Saturday, February 11.