Kirinyaga Deputy Governor, Peter Ndambiri, has urged the area Member of the County Assembly (MCAs) and his boss, Anne Waiguru, to stop being egocentric and agree to sit on a round table to iron out their differences urgently.
Ndambiri said the current stand-off between the two centers of power had left the area residents suffering due to lack of provision of various services.
At a press conference held at a PIAI Hotel, Mwea East Sub-county, yesterday, Ndambiri said unless the MCAs and the Governor agreed to climb down from their ivory towers and settle on level ground, the County was about to grind to a standstill.
“I am ready to mediate between the two institutions if my boss permits me to do so within the shortest time possible otherwise just the Wanjiku whom we serve am deeply concerned by the stalemate,” the official said.
He said there was no need of moving from the County to the Senate and to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over matters which could have been sorted out at a round table.
“By moving from the County Assembly to the Senate, to the law courts and then to the EACC, our people are just suffering and the sooner the two institutions agreed to come together and iron out their differences, the better,” Ndambiri told the media.
Yesterday morning, Waiguru spent most of the day at the EACC to answer various financial anomalies the MCAs had accused her of.
She, however, came out blaming it on her political detractors who had fabricated the claims of financial malpractices.
“Some of those MCAs who had accused me of having spent Sh 6 million for an overseas trip had in fact accompanied me in the said safari abroad,” she said, as she left the EACC offices.
Ndambiri said God was unhappy with the local leadership following the stand-off which had left wananchi suffering due to lack of provision of services, especially health.
“Chest-thumping when it comes to solving the current stalemate will only further deteriorate the services to the public, especially at such a time when we are supposed to be concentrating on the Coronavirus pandemic,” he said
Photos by Irungu Mwangi/KNA
“I’m shocked by our Governor, she’s running to the Senate to get assistance when in the actual sense she’s supposed to sit down with MCAs and come up with a solution which is acceptable to everyone” he noted.
“Instead of running to Senate, she should give me that opportunity to resolve the stalemate with MCAs. The county assembly needs just to be respected,” he said.
On Monday, July 20, the High Court issued a temporary order, suspending the implementation of the Kirinyaga County Appropriation Bill.
Justice Weldon Korir, also ordered the Speaker of the County Assembly, Anthony Gathumbi not to authorize any withdrawal from the County revenue fund until the matter filed in court, challenging the Budget Estimate and Appropriation Bill is heard and determined.
Justice Korir also directed the Controller of Budget not to authorize any withdrawal from the County Revenue Fund through the Integrated Financial Management System.
The High Court order temporarily shut the operations of the County Government at least until the matter is heard and determined.
By Irungu Mwangi
