Be ready for dissolution of county, Ngilu warns MCAs

Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu. She has warned MCAs that she will not give in to their demands to change her manifesto and agenda for the county. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Ms Ngilu said she would rather the county be dissolved and fresh elections held than to yield to demands by MCAs for luxury holiday trips fashioned as bonding retreats or be pushed to implement projects that do not reflect people's wishes.

Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu Sunday warned MCAs that she will not give in to their demands to change her manifesto and agenda for the county.

Ms Ngilu said she would rather the county be dissolved and fresh elections held than to yield to demands by MCAs for luxury holiday trips fashioned as bonding retreats or be pushed to implement projects that do not reflect people's wishes.

The governor was speaking for the first time since the county assembly rejected her supplementary budget and impeached Finance minister Mary Nguli last month.

"The MCAs have rejected the supplementary budget because I insisted on putting 80 per cent of the funds under the community-level infrastructure projects for water. This is what the people who elected me want, and I will not betray them," she said.

She said the MCAs were only focused on opposing every programme the county government was undertaking to derail her agenda for the sake of political expediency without minding welfare of the people.

"You all know that the assembly is headed by a man who unsuccessfully tried to unseat me for 20 years as the MP for Kitui Central, and theirs is just an agenda to frustrate me," she said in reference to County Assembly Speaker George Ndotto.

Governor Ngilu spoke in Mwingi Town during the installation of the new Bishop for the Africa Inland Church, the Rev Timothy Kituo. "I proposed we increase the water and health budget in line with people's needs, but the assembly is demanding leisure trips to Mombasa. If we can't agree on what is good for Kitui people, then let's agree to dissolve the county and seek fresh mandates from the people" she said.

Ms Ngilu said she was ready to face the ultimate political arbitration by Kitui people through the ballot on who is right between the executive and the assembly and that the MCAs should be ready to have the county government dissolved.

REJECTED BUDGET

She cited achievements by the county since she assumed office, including the Kitui County health insurance cover, a textiles centre, and food and water programmes as proof that her manifesto is better.

"The people of Kitui voted for me because I had a better manifesto than my opponents. The political squabbles are only frustrating service delivery to the same residents and slowing down implementation of projects" she said.

The standoff between Ms Ngilu and the MCAs began in August when she cancelled a three-day bonding retreat for the assembly and executive in Mombasa, saying such seminars should be held locally to boost businesses.

Former Kitui Senator David Musila urged the MCAs to stop frustrating the governor and drop their demands for the sake of residents.

Last month, the county assembly rejected the supplementary budget, saying the governor had heavily altered the original one passed in June and introduced new projects, which had not been agreed upon.