Machakos MCAs debate Alfred Mutua ouster motion

Members of the Machakos County Assembly debate a motion to impeach Governor Alfred Mutua on November 23,2016. PHOTO | STEPHEN MUTHINI | NATION MEDIA GROUP.

Twenty-seven members of the Machakos County Assembly on Wednesday debated a motion to impeach Governor Alfred Mutua in a session devoid of excitement as all members present supported it.

Thirty-one other MCAs stayed away and were reported to have travelled to Tanzania and Uganda in order to defeat the ouster motion.

The motion was moved by Ndalani Ward MCA Stephen Muthuka, who listed accusations against Dr Mutua and called for his removal in order to save the residents of Machakos from "oppression" and "being duped".

“Mr Speaker, there are those who cheer as our county resources are being plundered. There are those who celebrate as our governor goes to other counties to waste our resources. Today may be the worst day for the entire Machakos County,” he said as he moved the motion.

MARUBA DAM

“I would have expected all MCAs to be in this House so that we can put the debate into perspective. We want to deliver the county from the oppression of Dr Mutua so that service delivery can be realized,” he added.

Mr Muthuku pointed out how Sh89.1 million was paid to a clearing and forwarding company for desilting the Maruba Dam.

He said the money was paid for services not rendered.

He also questioned the tendering, saying it was not necessary since the national government had desilted the water reservoir in 2011.

Dr Mutua was also accused of failing to establish an internal audit system, thus leading to loss of funds.

INTERNAL AUDIT

Mr Muthuka said the lack of internal audits was one reason the county was failing to meet its revenue collection targets.

“We have been asking ourselves why we are losing money. Mr Speaker you have a report in this House on how we have been losing money at the source,” he said.

Dr Mutua was represented by lawyer Wilfred Nyamu, who sat and listened to the proceedings.

There was drama at the public gallery when members of the public roughed up and ejected a man, Tom Luusa, who is said to be a close ally of the governor.

Some members of the public accused Mr Luusa of taking photos and videos with the intention of sending them to his friends in the executive.

WHISKED AWAY

The enraged mob chased him out of the gallery, saying he belonged to Makueni County and should not be involved in Machakos matters.

“What are you doing here? Is there no county assembly in Makueni?" a member of the public was heard shouting.

It took the intervention of the assembly security guards to save Mr Luusa.

They whisked him away and later drove him to safety as the crowd charged after him.

The commotion happened when Assembly Speaker Bernard Mung'ata called for a five-minute break during the debate.

Moments later, a group of boda boda riders noisily made a procession near the assembly chambers in support of Dr Mutua as the debate went on in the House.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The impeachment debate also spilled onto social media, with residents expressing mixed reactions.

Kaveva Mwangangi, a resident of Masinga, posted: “At this rate, it will require a miracle to oust Mutua. Machakos County is forever singing and dancing to his tune. It seems there is no one on the horizon to challenge him in his clever political gimmicks."

Lawrence Maingi, a Masinga parliamentary seat aspirant, said: “We don’t have weak candidates. We have been exploited and it’s quite in order for them to know we are watching. It is not their money but our revenue."