Forty-five governors-elect are scheduled to take the oath of office on Thursday, August 25, following their gazettement by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati however postponed gubernatorial elections for Mombasa and Kakamega counties due to a mix-up in the printing of ballot papers.
By law, all newly elected governors are supposed to be sworn in 10 days after being declared winners by the IEBC.
To ensure the swearing-in process is a success, the Office of Governor Committee in each of the 45 counties across the country is working round the clock to ensure a smooth transition process.
However, it has emerged that millions of shillings will be spent on the swearing-in ceremonies on Thursday.
In the requisitions made to the Controller of Budget, some devolved units are seeking as much as KSh22 million for an event that is expected to run for a maximum of four hours.
The law stipulates that the oath or affirmation shall take place not earlier than 10.00 am and not later than 2.00 pm.
“They are asking for crazy amounts. They are asking for KSh17 million, KSh18 million, KSh20 million, and KSh22 million,” a source at the office of the Controller of Budget disclosed to the Star.
“For instance, Nairobi is asking for over KSh20 million. Machakos, Homa Bay, and Trans Nzoia are the others asking for crazy amounts,” the source added.
The law mandates that the swearing-in of the governor-elect shall occur in a public ceremony before a high court Judge.
The Judiciary has already issued guidelines that allow a seamless exercise, especially in counties where outgoing governors have served their two terms of 10 years or have not been re-elected to office after the first term.
