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| MCAs from Maragua Constituency in Murang’a County addressing journalists at Golden Palm Hotel in Kenol town on January 3, 2019. They lashed out at Maragua MP Mary Waithira for opposing their idea of monitoring schools to ensure students are not sent home for lunch fees. PHOTO | NDUNG’U GACHANE | NATION MEDIA GROUP |
A section of MCAs from Murang’a have lashed out at Maragua MP Mary Waithira following her remarks that the county government is meddling with education.
This follows comments by the MP who was reacting to Governor Mwangi Wa Iria’s announcement that, together with MCAs, he would form a surveillance team to ensure that no student is sent home to collect lunch levies.
She said that before coming up with the idea, the county government should have consulted teachers and parents since there was a mutual agreement by the both parties before introducing the lunch levies.
The MP, who urged the county government to stick to its mandate, said such a decision would create unrest in schools as students will not agree to eat cold food.
CATER FOR LUNCH
“If the governor wants to help parents, let him cater for lunch and wages for the cooks so that his so-called surveillance team can go round the schools checking whether teachers are demanding for lunch fees but we can’t allow him and his MCAs to interfere with learning,” she said.
But in reaction, MCAs drawn from her constituency led by Ichagaki Ward Rep Charles Nganga alias Ichagaki One, Kambiti MCA Dancun Wagathoni, Zabron Machugu (Nginda), Karanja Wakabera (Kamahuha) and Elizabeth Wambui (Nominated) accused the MP of deliberately misinterpreting the idea in a bid to seek “petty political mileage”.
Mr Ng’ang’a claimed the MP has been sabotaging the activities of Murang’a County government which comprises of leaders elected on the Jubilee Party ticket, a move he said would derail the development agenda in the constituency.
NOT SINCERE
“The MP has not been genuine in her remarks. She is just concerned with seeking political mileage by dragging in the name of the governor. This is because there is no where we said we would stop the lunch fees in schools but we said we would not allow teachers to be imposing huge lunch levies on the students who are sent away from time to time despite their school fees being paid by the government,” he said.
He added the MP misconstrued the governor’s statement to mean he would abolish the lunch levies.
“It’s unfortunate for leaders to utter careless statements before consulting widely as [the MP] can incite students and cause anarchy in schools. In fact we want her to be investigated,” Mr Ng’ang’a said.
FUNDRAISER
The MCAs asked the MP to come out publicly and explain how she used the money she received when she conducted a fundraiser for her endowment fund last year.
They called on the Auditor-General to conduct an audit of the money, saying the MP got the money from the public and it would be wise if it is accounted for.
“Before the MP tongue lashes us and the governor over the lunch programme, she should account for the Sh10 million she got from members of public in a harambee attended by the Deputy President William Ruto,” Ms Wambui said.
On his part, the Kamahuha MCA said the two leaders have personal differences and urged them to square it out instead of using political podiums to accuse each other, warning that their differences could derail development in Maragua Constituency.
“Leaders should work together for the development agenda of the county. The governor and the MP should support and complement each other instead of settling their old scores in public since that could [derail] the development agenda in the constituency,” Mr Karanja said.