Members of the Embu County Assembly have called for prudent use of Sh.29 million county kitty allocated for the control of Coronavirus pandemic.
Led by Minority Leader, Masters Mwaniki, the MCAs called for equitable provision of free facemasks, hand sanitizers and washing points at public places in all wards using the available financial resources.
Mwaniki who is also the Kiambere MCA said vulnerable members of society should be given first priority in the issuance of free protective materials.
He regretted that an entire batch of 20,000 facemasks donated to the county recently by Mozzart Betting Company amongst other well-wishers was only distributed around Embu town.
“There is need to include other regions henceforth in such a programme when the planned manufacture of locally made masks by Vocational Training Centres commences,” noted Mwaniki.
The Kiambere MCA who chairs the County Assembly Committee on Trade, Tourism, Investments and Industrialization was speaking Wednesday at the legislator’s debating Chambers after tabling a report on the assessment of the County Government’s preparedness and response to the laid down protocols to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 in Embu markets and trading centers.
His counterpart from Kirimari ward, Morris Muchiri told the House that some individuals in the county government who unfairly politicized the mask distribution exercise, adding that some issued the protective items to their cronies and sold the rest at a profit.
Muchiri called for ward representatives to be involved in identification of deserving vulnerable individuals and in the distribution of anti-coronavirus gear.
On his part, the leader of majority, Michael Njeru said that elected leaders are facing tough times with their electorate demanding to know how the Sh.2 billion allocated by President Uhuru Kenyatta for coronavirus mitigation was utilized, adding that residents from his ward have been asking for free facemasks which the National and County Governments were yet to provide despite having funds for the same.
In addition, the Muminji MCA, Newton Kariuki called for quality checks on the masks supplied by well-wishers to ensure they meet recommended standards.
By Kimani Tirus
