Uasin Gishu county DG finally appointed following a court ruling
Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Evans Kapkea acknowledges greetings from his supporters after he was appointed by Governor Jonathan Bii. He had delayed to take office since August, but he will now commence his work following a court ruling. Photo/Jeremiah Choge
Uasin Gishu County Government has officially appointed Evans Kipruto Kapkea as the new Deputy Governor following a court ruling on October 14, 2024.
Eldoret High Court Presiding Judge Justice Reuben Nyakundi ordered the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and Governor Bii to gazette Mr Kapkea as the newly appointed Deputy Governor of Uasin Gishu County.
Kapkea takes over from John Kibet Barorot, who resigned in August after serving two(2) years under Governor Jonathan Bii alias 'Koti Moja'.
“In exercise of the powers conferred under Chapter Eleven of the Constitution of Kenya, section 32D of the County Governments Act, 2012, and the Judgment of the High Court of Kenya at Eldoret in Constitutional Petition No. E24 of 2024: County Government of Uasin Gishu and 2 Others versus Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, I, Jonathan Bii Chelilim, the Governor of Uasin Gishu County, appoint EVANS KIPRUTO KAPKEA as the Deputy Governor of Uasin Gishu County,” the Gazette notice dated October 22, 2024, reads.
Justice Nyakundi’s ruling mandated the IEBC to formally include Mr Kapkea’s name in the official Kenya Gazette notice as the newly nominated Deputy Governor of Uasin Gishu County, effective from the date of his vetting by the county assembly.
“The court has issued an order of mandamus directing the respondent administrative unit headed by the CEO to initiate the necessary instruments for the government printer to ensure that Evans Kapkea’s name is entered in the official gazette,” the judge ruled.
The County Government had taken legal action to compel the IEBC to gazette Kapkea following his nomination by Governor Bii and subsequent approval by the county assembly.
The court denied IEBC’s request to delay the execution of the ruling.
Former Deputy Governor John Barorot resigned to take up a position as CEO of a global ICT company.
“Today we announce the exit of our Deputy Governor Engineer John Barorot, who has secured a position as Chief Executive Officer of an international organisation in the ICT sector. His last day of work will be August 31, 2024,” stated Governor Bii.
Unconfirmed reports however indicated that Mr Barorot resigned due to what was termed frustration from people close to his former boss (Governor Bii).
"Mr Barorot went through a lot of frustration. His office was not being facilitated to run its day to day affairs. He could not even sit in Cabinet meetings despite being the second in command. He had to call it quits," a source close to Mr Barorot told AVDelta News, claims Governor Bii has dismissed, terming them as baseless.
