Money, glory and fame create a mad rush for MCA seats

The electoral commission may print the longest ballot papers for ward elections, going by the number of people eyeing slots in county assemblies.

A spot check by the Sunday Nation in at least 10 counties last week shows that about five in every 10 youth want to become members of the county assembly, with some ready to run as independent candidates should they miss party tickets.

They see the position as a guaranteed way out of poverty. And the fact that the current crop of MCAs has largely disengaged from active work to concentrate on defending their seats has further reinforced the perception that the seat is golden.

In Nyeri County, for instance, quorum hitches have seen the Assembly adjourned thrice since the fourth session began as members engage campaign gear.

Statistics show that a paltry 10 MCAs out of 47 have been attending to House business, with the Speaker banning the press from taking photos to avoid embarrassment.

Before 2012, Nick (second name withheld) could hardly afford bus fare to town. But today he is the envy of many jobless youth who see his position as a gateway to riches.

His children attended public schools in Nairobi and were the laughing stock due to their inability to clear fees in time and for donning torn uniform. But that is all behind them now. They call him “daddy” and not “baba” as they used to, making the job a symbol of middle class opulence in the villages and towns.

The politician — granted anonymity by the Sunday Nation to freely discuss the bonanza replicated across the country by his colleagues — explained that the major source of their money is tenders and “protection fees” from corrupt county officials facing scrutiny over public expenditure.

Mwesh (short form of Mheshimiwa: honourable) as he is fondly referred to in the ward, now owns a home in a posh estate away from the slum he represents. But for political reasons, he has retained the tumbled-down house that he used to stay in for the past 10 years. The two big cars that he owns and a bulging “public opinion” (pot belly) announce his new-found status.

The sudden change of fortune for a man who rode onto his party’s wave to win the MCA seat in 2013, offers a glimpse into the mad rush for the seat by aspirants from across the social spectrum come next year.

Clamour for governor’s seat comes second. While there are 1,450 ward seats available and another 774 nominated ones, there are only 47 slots for county bosses who control billions of shillings.

Long before the official campaign season begins, it is not unusual to be bombarded by requests to like social media pages of aspirants. Some have also created groups on WhatsApp (an instant mobile phone messaging platform) and randomly add people to the group to popularise their bids.

This is a stark departure from the past when parliamentary seats attracted the highest interest compared with other elective seats.

Former Majority Leader in Nyamira county Assembly and Bogichora MCA Beauttah Omanga says he does not regret resigning from his job as a journalist to venture into politics. He adds that a need to control public resources was responsible for the sharp increase in aspirants.

“It is about power ... the power to get almost whatever they want and even to impeach the governor,” he said, adding that when the dust settles, aspirants will realise that it is not all rosy. “Those whom you represent in the assembly see you as a solution to all their problems, yet the resources are limited,” he said.

So entrenched is the craze that if you ask an average child what they want to be when they grow up, a good number will say “MCA”.

This is also exemplified by the fact that many teachers and professionals based in rural areas — whom the children interact with daily — plan to try their luck at these seats.

East Seme ward representative (Kisumu) Aggrey Ogosi admitted that those motivated by a need to make money were in deed minting millions from tenders and other unscrupulous means.

“Many are in business, no doubt about that. The only danger is that the oversight role, the main duty of an MCA, is then relegated to the back seat,” he said.
While discouraging the working class from resigning to run for the seat, nominated Mombasa MCA Fatma Swale challenged the youth to first ensure they have an agenda for the people before joining the race.

“Those coming in with the mentality to steal public coffers had better think again, for such deeds will catch up with them some day,” she said.

Interestingly, even some MPs want to “scale down” and vie for MCA seats because there is less scrutiny there, yet MPs control billions of shillings channelled to counties.

Nominated Senator Godliver Omondi, for instance, will be going for the MCA seat in Kakamega County. One would have expected her to run for a parliamentary seat.

But she says her decision has nothing to do with the allure of “earthly things” but the need to serve the masses.

Nairobi Minority Leader Hashim Kamau (Jubilee), first elected councillor in 1997, said the package had improved tremendously. Those days, he said, there was no per diem.

“We would take home Sh6,500. But now the amount is in excess of Sh200,000 when you add other benefits,” he said.

Mr Kamau, who is the California MCA, said what they get is not as glamorous as projected, save for those doing business with devolved governments.

There are many other players, like a prominent leader at the Nairobi County Assembly who wanted to vie for the Westlands parliamentary seat but will now be defending his seat.

Public displays of bravado and wealth have placed undue premium on MCA seats.

The survey shows that even the value of land in the village has appreciated because of the new sheriffs in town. This is a general contribution of devolution as demand for land increases.

Since March 2013, MCAs have attracted all manner of public condemnation, ranging from a penchant for irrelevant foreign trips to illegal approval of ward development funds. Some governors have reportedly acceded to their demands and set up informal kitties for them.

The politician also says they do business with the executive arm of government and with companies registered through proxies.

“It is true that members have devised a number of ways to accumulate money. Expect the intensity to get higher as we do the last lap to the elections since no one is sure of re-election,” he said.

At the formative stages of county governments, MCAs are also said to have made a fortune while vetting senior officials employed by county public service boards, who had to part with money.

The ward representative also disclosed that there were occasions they had sponsored impeachment motions against governors as a way of rent-seeking. In such cases, they ended up pocketing hundreds of thousands of shillings, only to abandon the motions later.

Many governors have been held to ransom by MCAs as they must co-operate with them in almost all spheres unless they are not interested in their seats.

The MCAs had their mileage allowance increased from Sh20,000 to Sh39,528, with a provision for every extra kilometre travelled. This is in addition to a Sh3 million mortgage and a Sh2 million car loan.

The MCAs, according to the County Government Act, have a three-fold mandate: representation, oversight over the executive, and promotion of accessibility, transparency and participation of the public in governance.