Nyandarua MCAs boycott sittings over cash

Debates in the Nyandarua County Assembly failed to take place for the fifth session on Thursday afternoon due to lack of quorum after Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) protested over unpaid sitting and mileage allowances amounting to millions of shillings.

The MCAs accused the County Assembly Public Service Board (CASPB) for failing to remit their allowances of the month of October.

They resolved to attend an informal kamukunji forcing speaker Ndegwa Wahome to adjourn the proceedings till next week on Tuesday.

The legislators formed a committee which they said will spearhead the push for the payment of their allowances.

The 9-member committee will be headed by vocal Rurii Ward MCA Peter Wahome Kamoche.

Addressing the press, they accused the Assembly’s Service Board of ignoring their pleas to have their moneys paid.

Wahome said that they were now being forced to dig into their pockets to attend various meeting in and outside the county.

The MCAs claimed they were making the matter public so that residents would know and understand their plight.

Kamoche noted that senior officials in the assembly are using their money to travel outside the country leaving the MCAs suffering.

The Rurii ward MCA said that they had vowed to boycott sessions until the matter was resolved.

Gatimu Ward MCA Kieru Wambui dismissed reports by Controller of Budget, Agnes Odhiambo, that the assembly had surpassed their expenditure by 112 % per cent.

He termed this claim as ridiculous, adding that it was ridiculous for the government to fail to pay its’ workers especially since they have dependents.

According to Wambui, the County Assembly was experiencing a myriad of challenges. The MCA stated that they had limited space, and this had forced them to hire a room from the Ol-Kalou PCEA Church.

“We have not even had our allowances and the report says that we have over used our set funds for expenditure! We will not relent until we get our rights,” he said.

Speaker Ndegwa Wahome later denied claims of the MCA’s boycotting assembly sessions saying all the money released to the assembly by the Controller of Budget’s office had been paid to the members.

He said at the time to transacting business, there was enough quorum until members walked out one-by-one.

He however blamed the Controller of the Budget for slow cash flow through the Public Finance Management (PFMA) which releases money on an 8-10 percent of the budgetary allocation every month.

The Speaker called for understanding saying that these were just but teething pains, and that the government is aware of the complaints.

Ndegwa said that he had earlier issued a statement to the members warning them of brace for “harder” times due to the delay in release of the money to the assembly.

“They all understand how the National Government works, and in fact I had warned them that there would be a delay in release of money by the Controller of Budget. Boycotting work will be an injustice to Wanjiku who elected them,” he said.

The Speaker however assured residents that services at the County Assembly will not be affected as there was quorum to pass laws pleading with the members not to politicize the matter.