Gatundu North MCAs say MP to blame for 'slow development'

Gatundu North MCAs (from left) Kimani Gachihi (Mang'u), Ng'ang'a Muthua (Chania), Sammy Ng'ang'a (Gituamba) and Moses Kiarie (Githobokoni) confer after addressing journalists at a Thika hotel on June 28, 2016. They accused Gatundu North MP Francis Kigo Njenga of sleeping on his job and failing to initiate tangible development projects. PHOTO | MARY WAMBUI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Chania MCA Ng'ang'a Muthua accused MP Francis Kigo Njenga of discriminating against residents in an electricity project.
  • Mang'u Ward MCA Kimani Gachihi said the MP has asked him to apologise for his continued probe on the project.
  • The MP noted that so far, 4,000 homes have been connected to electricity out of about 10,000 applications.
  • He said projects being implemented in neighbouring Gatundu South were initiated 10 years ago when President Kenyatta was MP.

Four ward representatives from Gatundu North have accused MP Francis Kigo Njenga of failing his constituents by frustrating projects aimed at ensuring development, citing the Last Mile electricity project, called "Stima Rahisi", as one of them.

The project, an initiative of the national government in partnership with the World Bank, seeks to cheaply connect rural homes to electricity .

Addressing journalists in Thika on Tuesday, four MCAs from Chania, Mang'u, Githobokoni and Gituamba wards alleged that Mr Njenga is behind an ongoing unscrupulous electrification project in which people pay between Sh5,000 and Sh10,000 for electricity connection instead of the subsidised fee of Sh1,160 for the Last Mile project.

Chania MCA Ng'ang'a Muthua accused the MP of discriminating against residents in the electricity project.

He said Mr Njenga has been engaging unknown contractors to discriminatively connect electricity to a few residents while at the same time charging them more than the set fee.

"We have forwarded these complaints to the regional manager of Kenya Power [but he referred] us to the MP saying he is the only one who can respond to the issue," he said.

WON'T APOLOGISE

Mang'u Ward MCA Kimani Gachihi said the MP has asked him to apologise for his continued probe of the project.

"I will not apologise to him for questioning why a national government project is benefiting only a few individuals. I only said, 'Stima si ya mama ya mtu', which is true," he said.

According to Gituamba MCA Sammy Ng'ang'a, the illegal electricity connections in his Ward led to the death of a woman and her son last week.

He accused the MP of failing to inform the resident of the ongoing subsidised electricity connection programme.

"The MP has been treating the power project as his own initiative. Unlike [the] Gatundu South MP, [Mr] Kigo did not announce when the project started.

“This is why we, unfortunately, lost two family members on Friday [as a result of] electrocution," said Mr Ng'ang'a.

The MCAs added that unlike in the neighbouring Gatundu South constituency, the rate of development in Gatundu North has been very slow.

SLEEPING ON THE JOB

They accused the MP of sleeping on his job and failing to be proactive in seeking to have funds channelled to his constituency to effect development “the way Gatundu South’s Moses Kuria is doing for his constituents”.

"Mr Kigo is a member of the parliamentary Committee on Land.

“We saw Gatundu South get an automated lands office and [we] got excited hoping ours was forthcoming but we are yet to get one.

“The NYS recruited about 3,500 youths in Gatundu South while none was recruited from Gatundu North," said the MCAs.

They also faulted the MP for not developing roads in the region and generally not matching his constituency's development rate to that of Gatundu South.

"Our MP has been condemning our complaints for so long. We have decided enough is enough. Let us meet in court if need be. We will follow up on national government projects to ensure that our people benefit equally.

“We shall no longer agree to live under fear by being threatened that our complaints are an embarrassment to the president," the MCAs said.

CHANGE CONSTITUENCY'S NAME

The MCAs said the constituency’s name should be changed from Gatundu to something else if the situation does not change.

"Every time a visitor tours Gatundu North, they get surprised at the slow rate of development since they consider us as part of Gatundu South, the president's home turf," said the Chania MCA.

Contacted, the MP called the accusations false and asked those complaining to join the opposition Cord, “where they can be used to tarnish the president's name”.

"I am not behind any illegal electricity connections. Those behind that should be reported to the police.

“I am comfortable with the 50KM worth of road tarmacking that the national government has given me in my first tenure, police stations and [the] ongoing Stima Rahisi project," he said.

4,000 HOMES CONNECTED

The MP noted that so far, 4,000 homes have been connected to electricity out of about 10,000 applications.

The remaining 6,000 will be connected once the government releases more funds, he added.

"The new NYS is set to benefit 72 constituencies in the first phase, Gatundu North will benefit in the second phase.

“I therefore cannot say that the government is side-lining Gatundu North in matters [of] development," said Mr Njenga.

He added that the national government projects being implemented in Gatundu South were part of the projects that President Uhuru Kenyatta initiated 10 years ago when he was MP.

"MCAs should stop politicising national government matters and instead focus on ensuring that the county government develops our access roads and other projects," he concluded.

(Editing by Martin Kinyanjui)