This archive report was first published on 28 September 2019.
Published on September 28, 2019, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is the Deputy Party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). As Raila Odinga's assistant in the party, he is expected to support the party's agenda and leadership. However, this is not the case.
The referendum debate has pitted Governor Oparanya against his party boss. While the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) is the brainchild of Mr Odinga and President Kenyatta, Mr Oparanya is behind the Ugatuzi Initiative, another lobbying by the county assemblies to change the constitution.
“We have come up with issues in our proposal that we want addressed through constitutional amendments and are working with assemblies through CAF to push this drive,” Mr Oparanya said.
Mr Oparanya expressed confidence that they will achieve the required one million signatures to be forwarded to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). He believes that with the support of many MCAs, they can collect the signatures in a week.
The governors' proposal on the structure of government includes an executive comprising the President as Head of State, a deputy president, a prime minister as the head of government and two deputies. They also propose that the Cabinet consists of not more than 18 ministers and 22 deputies from among MPs and at least one-third to be appointed from outside Parliament.
Mr Oparanya said that the governors' main aim is to strengthen devolution. He emphasized the importance of regional balance, stating that each county must be represented in the government to have either a Cabinet minister, deputy minister or principal secretary.
