Mandera governor speaks out against Assembly chaos

Mandera Governor Ali Ibrahim Roba has said witnessed chaos at County Assembly is not about a supplementary budget but a politicised normal assembly process.

According to Mr Roba, a member introduced a motion seeking clarification on how the ravaging drought situation in the county can be responded to since the assembly has shot down the supplementary budget.

“The executive introduced a supplementary budget to the assembly which was rejected two weeks ago and the members who were supporting the supplementary budget conceded defeat peacefully when they lost 17 against 15,” he said.

He sought to clarify that what the county executive wanted was a clearance from MCAs to raise funds from other departments but not a re-introduction of the rejected supplementary budget.

The governor pointed accusing finger to council of elders and political nominees allied to the council for influencing the MCAs.

“The chaos noticed in the past two days is nothing but politicisation of normal assembly procedures by people allied to council of elders and the proposed political nominees by the same elders,” he said.

He said his opponents while influencing the MCAs to oppose the motion feared his administration will gain political mileage by allocating sufficient resources to respond to ravaging drought situation causing immense suffering.

According to Governor the county has responded to two successive drought seasons within the current financial year hence depletion of the initially allocated funds.

“They are politicising an issue that is posing a threat to human and livestock lives while seeking to be leaders for the same people whose lives they demonstrate not to care about.” he said.

The county boss said his administration will not sit back and watch as people and their livestock die from hunger but will push for means to raise funds to respond to already worsening situation.

The governor described the two day events as unfortunate as property was destroyed in the fracas pitting two political camps in the assembly.

The motion requiring the county government to effectively present an upscale plan of response to drought won support of twenty seven MCAs against sixteen on Thursday resulting to chaos.

Mr Roba called on MCAs to professionally handle the issue without turning chaotic terming the events as barbaric.

“It is so unfortunate that now in Kenya assemble processes can be curtailed by people behaving as hooligans,” he said.
“We are under pressure to respond to drought and we will not relent until a solution is gotten and this is the essence of responsibility,” he said.

He said the county has been responding to such situations in the past and as the current leaders they will still perform their duty.

DIFFERENT TURN

Mandera assembly minority leader Abdirahman Ismael confirmed the chaos was caused by a motion introduced by the leader of majority Robow Hassan.

“The motion was as simple as asking the executive to allocate funds to save lives as drought continued but things took a different turn,” he said.

He said what the executive was to present would be debated and passed or passed or rejected.

“We are not fighting over a supplementary budget but a motion that is about saving lives of people who voted us in,” said Mandera town MCA Feisal Abdonoor.

MCAs opposing the motion have since insisted that the executive was having a hidden agenda with said motion.