Governors criticise MPs plan to cut back powers

Coast governors Wednesday criticised MPs for introducing a Bill which seeks to bar them from flying the national flag on their official vehicles.

The governors also took issue with Parliament’s plan to move the Sh3.4 billion equalisation fund from the control of county governments.

MPs are debating a Bill that will ensure the money is spent at constituency level, just like CDF, which means that they, not governors, will control how the money meant for marginalised areas is spent.

Ironically, debate on the Bill stalled on the floor of the National Assembly because there were not enough members to pass the Bill after its Second Reading.

For the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill to move to the next reading, the Constitution states that each House of Parliament must have not less than two-thirds of all its members. The numbers fell short of that threshold on Wednesday.

Besides the amendment, MPs also debated the Bill seeking to limit the flying of the national flag to the President, the Deputy President, the Chief Justice, the Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate. The Bill moved by Mr Adan Keynan (Eldas, ODM) had been tabled in the National Assembly for the second reading.

However, it was opposed by a section of MPs over its constitutionality and the temporary Speaker (Kibwezi East MP) Jessica Mbalu promised to make a ruling later on the matter. Still, she allowed debate on the Bill to continue.

Last week Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso said the legality of the Bill from the Senate would be established before it could be allowed to proceed to the next stage.

The Purpose of the National Flag, Emblems and Names (Amendment) Bill is to change the National Flag, Emblems and Names Act (Cap. 99) to restrict the flying of the national flag on motor vehicles to a few select government and State officials.

NATIONAL MENACE

Moving the motion, Mr Keynan said that unless controlled, the use of the flag could turn out to be a national menace.

“Every Kenyan should identify themselves with the national flag but we should retain the respect and dignity to our national flag so that we do not find it being hoisted even outside bars in future,” said Mr Keynan.

But speaking in Kipini township Wednesday, Tana River Governor Hussein Dado termed the move by MPs to stop governors from flying the national flag as “inconsequential”.

“It is not a very important thing to me. I had served as a Kenyan High Commissioner in Namibia for many years where I was referred as his excellency and had an opportunity to fly the Kenyan flag,” he said. “The most crucial thing for us as governors is to deliver services to our people.”

Mr Dado challenged MPs and senators to enact laws that would help ordinary Kenyans “instead of dwelling on endless petty politics,”

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi also said the debate was “misplaced”.

“It is very unfortunate that leaders can indulge in non-meaningful debate whereas there are many things that can be done to help Kenyans,” he said. “It does not make sense for a leader to come to a public rally like this and begin speaking about flags and other non-meaningful things. This debate does not add any value to the daily lives of our people.”

And Taita Taveta deputy governor Mary Ndigha said her government would cut back on its development programmes if MPs passed the law giving them control of the equalisation fund. The move by MPs, she said was likely to affect the development plan as the county had prepared since some of the tasks had shifted to the constituency development funds committee.

Speaking from her Wundanyi office Ms Ndigha said for the projects to be completed as planned would have to wait for a supplementary budget.

In Kwale, the assembly passed a motion to oppose the plan by MPs to control the fund set aside for marginalised areas from the county to the constituency.

Reported by Jonathan Manyindo, Galgalo Bocha and Farouk Mwabege