Anne Waiguru Elected Council of Governors Chair
The CoG chairperson is considered a national face of the 47 governors
Marvin Chege 
Kirinyaga County Governor, Anne Mumbi Waiguru, has been elected as the new chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG).
Waiguru held off intense competition from her Kajiado County counterpart, Joseph Ole Lenku to win in a secret ballot conducted on Saturday, September 17. She was vying under Kenya Kwanza led by President William Ruto.
The second-term governor garnered a majority vote to be declared the new CoG boss taking over from the outgoing Embu governor Martin Wambora.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru addressing other county bosses on Thursday, September 15, 2022. /TWITTER.ANNE WAIGURU
Wajir Mohamed Abdi Mohamud will deputise Waiguru.
The CoG chairperson is considered a national face of the 47 governors who are tasked with the mandate of implementing devolved functions.
The chairperson is also the link between the national and county governments.
Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire led in sending congratulatory messages to her counterpart who retained her seat in the 2022 general elections
"Congratulations Governor Anne Waiguru on your election as the Chair, Council of Governors (COG).
"We continue to shatter the glass ceiling day by day. Lead us to next level my sister," she shared on Twitter.
Waiguru will chair the Intergovernmental Budget Executive Council headed by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Other than representing the other 46 governors, she will also oversee a mechanism for consultation amongst County Governments and facilitating capacity building for Governors.
On Friday, September 16, she called upon other governors allied to Azimio la Umoja to support her.
"I do not want to be the proverbial man who walks around with a beautiful lady but never proposes to her and becomes mad when she is taken by another man he starts to feel bad. I declare my interest in the CoG chair," Waiguru stated during a tea break at the governors' induction in Mombasa.
Waiguru was previously the Devolution Cabinet Secretary (CS) before she was elected Kirinyaga Governor for the first term. She was also a CoG vice chairperson.
She is now serving her second term after retaining her seat in the August 2022 elections.
She held off a dramatic scare by independent candidate, Purity Wangui Ngirici, who was aiming to unseat her on an independent ticket as an outgoing Woman Representative.
Waiguru got 113,088 votes against Ngirici's 105,677 votes, a difference of 7,411.
She gave her acceptance speech minutes after the official announcement, thanking God and the people of Kirinyaga for giving her another chance at the top county seat.
A collage of Purity Wangui Ngirici and Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru. /FILE
"It is just a miracle that I made it and I want to first start by thanking God because if it was not for his strength, ability, wisdom, favour and grace upon me, I would not have been able to be here.
"I also want to thank the people of Kirinyaga because of the confidence that you have shown in me, let my work speak for me," she said.
She also, in a darling appreciation, thanked her husband, Kamotho Waiganjo and her family for standing by her through thick and thin during the nervous period.
