MCAs defend their performance record

Members of the county assembly in Mombasa have warded off claims that they are not executing their oversight role.

Led by Majority Leader Khamis Mwidani, the MCAs dismissed assertions that they were being used as rubberstamps for the county's executive.

Likoni MCA Abdallah Kasagamba said they have “several avenues” to appraise the performance of Governor Hassan Joho.

"We do oversight and remember this is a single party government. The governor is from ODM and majority of us are from ODM. So we implement ODM government policies," Mr Kasagamba said during an interview with the Nation.

The MCAs were responding to accusations by Jubilee's Mombasa interim Chairman Matano Chego who said they are overseeing fraud in employment and tendering of projects.

"We demanded the list of all those who were awarded tenders and those who were hired.

"The MCAs have failed to ensure there is transparency and accountability within the executive arm of [the] county government," Mr Matano said during a press conference at the party's office in Nyali.

They also denied not conducting public participation about issues being discussed in the Assembly, in attempts to avoid scrutiny.

Senator Hassan Omar allied MCAs chastised leaders supporting Governor Joho's leadership saying they have been bribed.

"They have no gut to say anything about the Governor because they are all in his pocket.

"When the governor’s security officers were withdrawn, they hurriedly convened a press conference to condemn the action but they cannot speak about heaps of uncollected garbage in the town.

"When people in Kisauni were being attacked by Wakali Kwanza, none of them spoke up," Bamburi MCA Rizike Fundi said.

He, accompanied by his colleagues (Jabess Mdhai (Kongowea) and Khamis Mwabashiri (Mjambere), addressed a press conference at the Senator's office in Renaissance Centre on Thursday.