Governor dismisses move by MCAs to inspect county projects

Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana has dismissed a move by Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) to inspect projects initiated by his administration since ascending to power in 2013.

The MCAs on Tuesday embarked on an 11-day exercise to inspect the projects undertaken by the county government in all the 30 wards.

"We are undertaking our oversight role as members of the county assembly to see the status of the projects that the county has initiated since it came to power," team leader Bernard Kiswii (Kikumbulyu South) said at Ilatu Dispensary in Makindu Sub-County.

The hospital was donated to the community by Kenya Pipeline Company and was furnished, fenced and supplied with drugs by Prof Kibwana’s administration.

According to the MCAs, they will visit hospitals, roads, learning institutions, dams and agricultural projects funded by the county government.

After the exercise, they will compile a report that will be debated in the assembly, they said.

"Based on the report, the assembly could be forced to blacklist contractors who have been performing shoddy work," said Keli Musyoka (Kithungu/Kitundu).

However, Prof Kibwana rubbished the exercise, saying the assembly wants to engage in politics through the exercise.

"MCAs have been looking for the slightest opportunity to pull our feet and they have picked on this exercise guided as a project inspection," said Prof Kibwana.

He was speaking at a hotel in Kiboko Township where he had met his executive and where he offered scholarships to 39 bright students from poor backgrounds in the county.

The annual scholarship programme pays full scholarship to bright students who hail from poor backgrounds.

He urged the students to work hard in the various national secondary schools they were admitted, but took a swipe at leaders who he said were determined to frustrate the county in its development strides.

Prof Kibwana blamed a delay occasioned by an infighting between the Assembly and the executive two years ago for hiccups in undertaking development projects in the county.

"Besides, the Assembly has significantly put a damper on development in the county by instituting suits against our executive at the anti-corruption agency," he said.
He was referring to a case where officials of the county's Procurement department were taken to court for allegedly abetting graft.

Although all the cases vindicated the executive, he said, they caused a delay in the way the county undertook development.

According to the county chief, MCAs should have followed the right procedure in reporting projects that are not in good shape to the executive.