Row over polls date rocks county assemblies forum

Elgeyo-Marakwet County Assembly Speaker Albert Kochei leaves the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission regional office in Eldoret town, accompanied by his lawyers on April 13, 2015. Members of the county assembly forum on September 20, 2015 said the decision to postpone elections was a delay tactic. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The County Assemblies Forum has said the polls will not be held until the 47 regional Houses have accepted a new constitution.
  • On Sunday, majority and minority leaders forum chairman Josphat Lowoi, who led a faction that walked out of the meeting, said the council was delaying the elections.
  • In the proposed constitution, the members would vote for two representatives in the executive committee from their regions and two others to the governing council.

A section of the county assemblies’ lobby has reacted with fury to a proposal that the group’s elections be postponed for the third time.

The County Assemblies Forum has said the polls will not be held until the 47 regional Houses have accepted a new constitution.

However, the majority and minority leaders forum on Sunday said the decision was a tactic to delay the elections.

The polls were first scheduled for June 15. They were postponed to a date that was to be announced in October. Now, they will be held after the assemblies vote for the proposed constitution.

DELAYING ELECTIONS
Mr Stephen Ambulwa, a member of the forum’s executive committee, on Sundau said a five-member team was studying the draft constitution.

“The forum’s governing council met on Friday and we chose a subcommittee to look at the constitution, clause by clause, and report to us in two weeks,” Mr Ambulwa, who represents the assemblies on election matters in the council, told the Nation.

After a chaotic meeting at the Bomas of Kenya last December, county assembly members demanded elections to replace the forum’s leadership. They accused the officials of only looking at speakers’ affairs.

On Sunday, majority and minority leaders forum chairman Josphat Lowoi, who led a faction that walked out of the meeting, said the council was delaying the elections.

“It’s like there is no leadership any more. We are working on another mechanism and we will soon make it public,” Mr Lowoi, who is also the Uasin Gishu Majority Leader, said.

INCREASING FINANCES
In January, the forum’s Secretary-General, Mr Albert Kochei, said the polls had been scheduled for June.

However, the elections did not take place as the forum said it was short of funds, instead, proposed an October date.

Mr Ambulwa said the elections would be more democratic once the constitution is ratified by the assemblies.

The forum also wants to increase its financial muscle to match the powerful Council of Governors.

It has lobbied assemblies to increase their annual contributions from Sh500,000 per county to Sh3 million, making a total of Sh141 million.

A COMMON GROUND
According to Mr Ambulwa, the governors’ council gets Sh20 million in annual contributions from each county, a total of Sh940 million annually.

“Governors are able to have the voice that they have and raise a common ground on issues affecting them because they have money.

“That is what we want of the MCAs forum,” Mr Dan Chitwah said, the Vihiga County Assembly Speaker and member of the forum’s executive committee.

To improve inclusivity and reduce expenses, Mr Ambulwa said, the forum had proposed to segment the assemblies into the former eight provinces as opposed to bringing the whole team to Nairobi for a vote.

In the proposed constitution, the members would vote for two representatives in the executive committee from their regions and two others to the governing council.