Plan to dissolve county on course, says Samboja 

Taita-Taveta governor Granton Samboja has insisted that plan to dissolve the county government is still on despite the formation of a team to solve the impasse.

“The county government of Taita-Taveta has collected 45,000 signatures in support of a petition to dissolve the devolved unit,” said Mr Samboja on Friday.

MEDIATION TALKS

The governor said a major announcement regarding the petition to dissolve the county government will be made early next week.

This comes amid calls by political leaders and national government for dialogue to end the impasse.

In the past few weeks, ODM leader Raila Odinga has been trying to mediate to end the row between Taita-Taveta ward representatives and the executive.    

Mr Odinga, who has separately met the two groups twice in in Nairobi, is expected to visit the county next week.

The Council of Governors (CoG) chairman Wycliffe Oparanya has picked Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi to spearhead the mediation talks between Taita-Taveta County executive and MCAs.

The dispute that has badly affected service delivery and implementation of projects in the region.

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa said that the ongoing wrangles, if not handled with care, might derail devolution agenda.

“We have seen frosty relationships between governors and MCAs in many counties but we have to handle this with care,” said Mr Wamalwa.

SH830 MILLION

The indifferences between Taita-Taveta County executive and MCAs reached fever pitch last month after Governor Samboja refused to bow to ward representatives’ pressure to allocate themselves more than Sh830 million in the 2019/2020 financial year.

The Bill was returned in the House for review after 20 elected MCAs proposed control of Sh41.5 million each for ward development without the approval and by the Senate Public Accounts and Investments Committee.

Taita-Taveta Speaker Meshack Maghanga has maintained the problem lies with the executive since assembly is open for talks to resolve the matter.

Governor Samboja’s decision to dissolve his government has been supported by Members of Parliament Danson Mwashako (Wundanyi), Andrew Mwadime (Mwatate), Jones Mlowa (Voi) and area Senator Jones Mwaruma.