Nakuru MCAs reject bid to give more cash to wards

Nakuru County Assembly Acting Speaker Michel Njoroge Sonis conducting House business on June 11, 2019. PHOTO | FRANCIS MUREITHI |NATION MEDIA GROUP 

By  Francis Mureithi

Writer

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • The petition, however, failed to get a 100 per cent endorsement by the 78-member House on Monday.  

  • Mr Karanja said the creation of such committees will lead to more confusion in the management of the projects committees in the wards.

An attempt by two Nakuru residents to petition the county assembly to create public management committees for the 55 wards has hit a snag.

In their petition, Mr Laban Omusundi and John Muthoni said the establishment of such committees would ensure a fair distribution of resources to all wards.

PETITION

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In the petition, the two Nakuru East sub-county residents want each ward committee to be given five per cent of the county allocation.

The petition, however, failed to get a 100 per cent endorsement by the 78-member House on Tuesday.  

Acting Speaker Michael Sonis Njoroge informed the Assembly that it was crucial they give their input on the petition before it is passed to implementation committee for further scrutiny.

Naivasha East Ward Representative Stanley Karanja opposed the petition saying the petitioners wanted the committee to be operated like a Constituency Development Fund (CDF). 

"The CDF draws funds separately from the national government while the proposed public management committees will eat into the county allocation and hurt other projects at the ward,” said Mr Karanja.

CONFUSION

Mr Karanja said the creation of such committees will lead to more confusion on the management of projects committees in the wards.

“The creation of separate committees will create more confusion and slow down development in the wards,” said Mr Karanja.

Mr Karanja said Governor Lee Kinyanjui had appointed committees to oversee the implementation of projects in the wards. He said that creating other committees would be a duplication of jobs and lead to misuse of resources.

“This petition is misplaced and should be rejected,” said Mr Karanja.

UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Subukia MCA Mary Waiganjo, who also dismissed the petition saying it was unconstitutional.

Kaptembwa Ward Rep Peter Mwamba Kajwang, however, urged the House to scrutinise the petition before dismissing it.   

“The idea by the two petitioners can be debated in a sober manner since projects in the wards are not monitored well," said Mr Kajwang.

He, however, he said the five per cent of the county allocation demanded by the petitioners is mind boggling.

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