Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana has asked are Members of County Assembly (MCAs) to pass the 11 pending bills including the Governor’s Scholarship bill which was not passed in 2019.
The MCAs have resumed their sittings today from the December holiday recess with a full tray of work awaiting them.
Godhana said, “According to me, the scholarship bill can be passed within a minute. The House Business Committee and education committee should polish the bill as it’s a matter of public interest.”
The assembly, Godhana said, is not an opposition party, but an arm of government, just like the executive and judiciary. The Governor made the statement amid simmering conflict between the executive and members of the county assembly. Last year, the MCAs rejected three CECM nominees.
“Mandera has managed to unveil a scholarship program, why can’t Tana River do it? Don’t we have brains, don’t we have people, don’t we have scholars and leaders? Can we now be serious in 2023 we have the brains and the people let’s shun the spirit of conflicts,’’ said the visibly agitated Governor.
The Governor called on leaders to shun division and instead work in unison to transform the Tana River. “We can’t move when the parties of transformation are not on the same page. Transformation cannot happen easily all of us must align ourselves with the agenda,” he said.
“We must go in the same direction as elected leaders we don’t have an option, it’s a pity there is a time I see the institutions that are supposed to manage transformation are pulling in different directions,’’ said the Governor.
The Governor revealed that there is conflict in the Hola municipality board, County Assembly, and the executive.
“A divided house can’t stand, that is why we have initiated talks at different levels. The village cluster program is a tool in dealing with problems. Conflicts must be solved for us to move forward,” said Godhana.
The Governor exuded confidence that the story of the transformation of Tana from rural to urban will be a case study shortly. He implored the Tana River people to shun retrogressive cultural practices for the county to prosper.
Our way of life and the changes we envisage, he said, are not compatible. Adding that transformation must be a people agenda. The professionals must be involved to give solutions but “we are stacked we can’t move we must make decisions”.
By Sadik Hassan
