Group wants Mombasa assembly dissolved
Members of Operation Fagia Bunge at the Treasury Squire in Mombasa on March 12, 2019. They are collecting signatures to petition for the dissolution of the assembly. PHOTO | KAZUNGU SAMUEL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
At least 200 people assembled at the Treasury Square beginning 8am.
Group behind the petition is called Operation Fagia Bunge.
Mombasa County Assembly Speaker Arub Khatri says group's intention is cast House in bad light, claims some people feeding governor with lies over impeachment plots.
A section of Mombasa residents on Tuesday started collecting signatures in bid to dissolve the county assembly over alleged incompetence.
At least 200 people assembled at the Treasury Square beginning 8am.
Holding brooms and sweeping the county assembly compound, the residents who came from Likoni, Kisauni, Mvita, Changamwe, Jomvu and Nyali constituencies, said all ward representatives should pack and go home because they have failed in their oversight role.
The signatures are being collected by a group called Operation Fagia Bunge.
The group’s secretary-general Kalinga Mgandi said they plan to collect 200,000 signatures in four weeks’ time.
“We have 100 clerks in every ward and each clerk will be assisted by three marshals to carry on the exercise.
We are hopeful that within four weeks, we shall have already archived the 200,000 signatures mark, write down the all the issues that we have and write the petition to both President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Senate to dissolve the county assembly,” Mr Mgandi said.
Some of the residents at the Treasury Square who spoke to Nation complained of general issues, accusing ward reps of neglecting their plight, failing to disburse bursaries and initiating development projects.
“We elected these MCAS to service us but since 2017, no one has never bothered to look into development projects or even listen to the plight of the residents” said Mr Michael Odongo.
Mr Odingo said the House has also failed to implement any meaningful legislation but did not specify which laws angered him.
Another resident, Mr Fred Mukaria from Mikindani, said the push to dissolve the county assembly started last month after it emerged that the assembly’s performance was below par.
“We decided to start this movement because we have realized that at the county assembly has no cooperation with the executive. The governor and his MCAs do not speak in one voice,” said Mr Mukaria.
The Mombasa County Assembly Speaker Arub Khatri claims the group is being financed by people out to paint the House in bad light.
Mr Khatri said there are people misadvising Mombasa County Governor Hassan Joho on House business and duties of ward reps.
“If members ask such-detailed information…and take it to the governor and misadvise him that we want to impeach him. They are misadvising the governor. We are only doing our oversight role,” he said.
