Makueni Speaker Stephen Ngelu Photo:County Assembly Communications Unit

Makueni Speaker Stephen Ngelu
Photo:County Assembly Communications Unit

Makueni Speaker Stephen Ngelu and Leader of Majority Francis Munyao conspired to use abroad trips and house committees as dangling carrots to buy royalty of Members of the County Assembly, (MCAs). Kithungo/Kitundu ward representative Constantine Keli Musyoka while giving evidence to the Mohammed Nyaoga- led commission into the possible dissolution of Makueni county said that MCAs allied to the governor were denied chances to visit abroad besides being allocated fewer committees as compared to their counterparts allied to the two leaders.

Keli told the inquiry team in Wote that the overseas trips were meaningless and a waste of time and resources as most of the MCAs traveled as tourists.

He added that the speaker and the majority leader used the trips for intense lobbying of impeachment processes of executive officials among other selfish agendas.

Keli recounted how 12 MCAs went to Louisiana state in USA just before the impeachment of the Governor Kivutha Kibwana while another bunch of MCAs traveled to Israel to facilitate the ouster of deputy speaker Caroline Munanie who had reportedly withdrawn a motion meant to impeach the then finance Executive Joshua Wambua without the consent of speaker Ngelu.

“Most of these trips were meaningless as we spend time touring the country and having fun at the taxpayers expense,” he said adding that they only visited the House of Representatives in Louisiana once, while in Israel MCAs visited fruit processing plants for only three days in the 12 day trip.

Keli accused the speaker and the majority leader of holding the county assembly at ransom and flouting house proceedings with impunity.

“There is a conspiracy between the speaker who has vested political interests and a majority leader who sees himself as the bonafide opposition leader of the Governor,” said the MCA.

Keli accused the speaker of being partial and conducting the house business like a private entity.

“The speaker decides what shall be passed in that house and the MCAs have no option other than follow his commands,” said Keli.

He said the leadership crisis in the county was caused by the budget saying that the failure by the Governor and MCAs to agree on allocation for the county assembly was the main problem.

“The two arms of government always fail to agree on the budget and that is the problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, the County Assembly Clerk Edward Libendi has said that the county does not meet the constitutional threshold for dissolution,

Libendi told the probe team most of the issues raised in the petition were false and a ploy by the county executive to portray the MCAs in a bad light.

He blamed the stalemate in the county on lack of capacity and communication failures from the executive arm.