MCAs hold secret meeting in quest for referendum

Members of County Assemblies on Saturday held a secret meeting in Nairobi to discuss, among other issues, the push for a national referendum by both the opposition and Council of Governors.

The County Assemblies Forum (CAF), which is chaired by the Speaker of Tana River County Assembly Dr Abdi Nuh, also dwelt on the promise made by the Jubilee Government that each MCA would get a car grant.

According to a source privy to the closed-door session held at Eastland Hotel off Ngong Road, the Speakers and Majority Leaders from the various counties were expected to also discuss budget ceilings and welfare issues.

“We will also get an update from the CAF technical committee we selected to look into the referendum issues,” said the source who cannot be named because he had not been authorised to speak to the press about forum matters.

The meeting lasted into the evening.

ISSUES BEDEVILLING DEVOLUTION

The 15-member technical committee, headed by Migori County Speaker Gordon Oluoch and his Embu counterpart Kariuki Mate, has been looking into issues the MCAs believe bedevil devolution and require redress.

The select committee has been going through submissions from the county assemblies on what position MCAs should take in the debate.

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) and the governors have separately promised goodies to the assemblies should they support the plebiscite.

Cord is pushing for the vote so as to address several issues including land, elections, security and devolution while, on the other hand, governors are on a similar cause independent from that of the opposition and are seeking to increase county allocations to 45 per cent.

SWEETENERS

The opposition has promised to ensure each MCA controls a Ward Development Fund and also have more powers in playing their oversight role in counties.

The MCAs have also received overtures from the government, including car grants of up to Sh2.5 million to each of the ward representative should they oppose the vote.

Other Jubilee Government sweeteners include the construction of offices for the entire 2,100 ward representatives and also a promise that they would be allowed to hire staff whose salaries taxpayers will foot.

Jubilee and Cord are wooing the members since the draft Bill containing the parts of the constitution to be amended through popular initiative must be passed by at least 24 counties before it goes to Parliament.

The MCAs have, however, differed on the issue with Nandi and Baringo county leaders indicating that they will support the referendum while Nairobi MCAs affiliated to the opposition Cord became the second after their Busia colleagues to denounce the resolution to create the committee.

Other MCAs have distanced themselves from the committee, saying that they would follow party affiliations on the debate.