A section of Kirinyaga Members of County Assembly have claimed they turned down Governor Anne Waiguru’s budget proposal to purchase revolving chairs and sofa sets saying that was the genesis of their cold working relationship.
Led by Baragwi MCA and Budget Committee Chairperson, David Mathenge, the MCAs claimed that the governor had allocated a whooping Sh.90 million to buy revolving chairs which they instead distributed equally to the ward development fund.
Mathenge said each of the twenty wards in the County would receive Sh.5 million for the construction of bridges and ECD classes as well as bursary and health departments.
“The bone of contention between us and the governor is that she wants the Assembly to act as an extension of the executive which cannot be,” he said.
The MCA said the Assembly would not be used as a rubber stamp in approving the governor’s proposal without removing or adding a coma. “We can’t allow that to happen,”.
He was responding to Waiguru’s accusations that some MCAs have been frustrating her development agenda for Kirinyaga County.
In a meeting at Kavote last week, Waiguru said she would decline to sign the budget unless the Members of the County Assembly include the County road equipment fuel budget.
She said the removal of the Sh.100 million from the budget proposals would adversely affect ongoing road rehabilitation projects that needed to be accelerated with the cessation of rains.
Waiguru accused the MCAs of sabotage saying that they were out to make her work difficult by curtailing the budget.
The governor also singled out the removal of Sh.10 million meant to build a modern market at Karumandi market which she noted should have been completed by now.
Mathenge said the Budget committee comprises of nine members who deliberate before the removal of any item in the budget.
“The governor is misrepresenting some fact and giving the wrong information to the locals about the budgetary process,” he said.
“It is insincere for the member who accompanied the governor in the Kavote meeting to have lied to the members of public since they are much aware and also participate in the budget making process,” the MCAs said.
The 25 MCAs who had met at Sagana said the governor should concentrate on devolved government functions.
“Let our governor concentrate on implementing the projects which we have approved including the construction of Kerugoya market,” they said.
The Assembly’s Majority Leader and Kerugoya MCA, Kamau Murango said the governor has been pushing for disciplinary actions against Jubilee sponsored MCAs who do not dance to her tune.
“We shall remain unbowed and the governor must deliver for all the Kirinyaga people and stop sidelining others who do not kneel down for her,” Murango said.
He said due to his hard stance, Kerugoya ward has been sidelined in the implementation of development project.
By Irungu Mwangi
