Plot to oust Speakers from counties forum leadership

Majority and minority leaders of county assemblies across the country have hatched a plan to oust Speakers from their forum leadership in the next elections.

The leaders said they will support MCAs to the positions instead. They claim the Speakers are undermining them.

The County Assemblies Forum (CAF) leadership, currently dominated by Speakers, has been accused of using the lobby to push for the interests of Speakers at the expense of the MCAs.

Speaking to the Nation Monday, Mr Josphat Lowoi, chairman of the Majority and Minority Leaders Forum, said that they have planned a meeting of members from the 47 counties to plan the ouster bid.

Mr Lowoi, who is also the Uasin Gishu Majority Leader, said that their first aim during the Friday meeting was the forum’s by laws.

“We have realised that the Speakers, who were the brainchild behind the formation of the lobby, made by-laws that favour them in the elections,” said Mr Lowoi in the telephone interview.

He said the meeting will focus on the shared concerns of the 3,000 MCAs who are members of the lobby group.
The elections for the all-powerful CAF officials have been scheduled for mid-May and the campaigns to replace the officials have intensified.

“We will meet and lobby the minority and majority leaders to push for a change of these laws and find ways that can accommodate all of us,” he said.
The County Assemblies Forum is currently chaired by Tana River Speaker Dr Abdi Nuh, deputised by his Nakuru counterpart Susan Kihika.

Elgeyo Marakwet Speaker Albert Kochai is the secretary-general and impeached Kisumu Speaker Ann Adul was treasurer.

Mr Kochai has since resigned from his position following corruption allegations and subsequent stepping aside as the Elgeyo Marakwet Speaker.
Yesterday, Ms Kihika and Dr Nuh refused to discuss their fate or the planned elections.

Mr Lowoi said that of concern to the MCAs, was a provision in the lobby by-laws that allowed only the executive and governing council to choose the next leaders.

LOCKS OUT OTHERS
“This by-law automatically locks out all the other members out and we need to change it,” said Mr Lowoi.

The elections of the officials of the forum coincides with those of the Council of Governors (CoG), a body that brings together all the 47 governors.

Talk of an association that will house all the governors, their deputies, MCAs and the speakers akin to the former local authorities’ association will also be on the agenda once the respective leaders take office.

Vihiga governor Moses Akaranga is the interim chairman of the body named Kenya Association of County Governments.
A section of the ward leaders walked out of a December meeting in the Bomas of Kenya that was organised to among other things, adopt a common position on the Pesa Mashinani referendum push by the council of governors.

Mr Lowoi was touted to clinch the chairmanship after the botched meeting but yesterday he appeared to tone down his ambitions.

“I do not necessarily need to be chairman. I can ably fight for the interests of my members by being in the executive council of the forum,” said Mr Lowoi.
Mr Lowoi added: “We have known our problem and it is that we did not have our representatives in the forum as MCAs. This coming elections is our time to change this.”

He accused the forum leadership of not being transparent and failing to furnish them with information.

“They are not diplomatic. We sent them to commissions like the Salaries Commission, or Controller of Revenue Allocation and they have always failed us,” said Mr Lowoi.

CAF officials were not chosen by majority but were hived off a Speakers’ Forum after intensified calls for a body that included the MCAs.
Yesterday, Mr Lowoi said that the push to have many MCAs in the forum was unstoppable.

“We cannot have a forum where the four top officials are speakers only yet the majority of members are MCAs. The time for us to clinch our place in the forum has come,” he said.