Senate raises concerns over disputes between Executive and MCAs

The Senate has termed as worrying the on-going fights and differences between the Executive and Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in different counties.

Through the Devolution Committee, it identified Kiambu, Kericho, Kisii, Migori and Busia as some of the counties facing leadership disputes.

The committee also pointed to the differences between Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja as some of the conflicts it plans to resolve in the coming days.

According to the committee chairman Mohammed Abass, the escalating disputes were affecting the spirit of devolution.

He said that the committee would visit all the affected counties so as to understand the problem and the way forward.

“We are concerned by the rising conflicts between national leaders and even between the executive and the assembly and we are keen to resolve them,” he said.

Abass said that they had managed to visit Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties where the differences of leadership and boundaries respectively had been resolved.

The Wajir Senator at the same time expressed the committee's concern over the pending bills noting that this could cripple service delivery.

He pointed to Nairobi and Wajir where the pending bills stood at Ksh.100 billion and Ksh.5 billion respectively, terming the figures as too high and questionable.

He wondered how the figures rose to the current levels yet the counties had budgeted for them but contractors had not been paid for years.

On her part, the committee vice chairperson Catherine Muma welcomed the planned meeting by the DP with the Meru elected leaders.

She said that with the Meru conflict, both teams are ready to work together and that the committee is keen to resolve the other disputes in the other counties.

The nominated senator added that the pending bills were eroding investor confidence, noting that hundreds of traders had lost their hard-earned cash.