Two days ago, Kiambu County Speaker Charles Thiongo was named the best county assembly speaker in the Central Kenya region by Pollster Rankings Kenya. Kiambu County Speaker Charles Thiongo while being rewarded. Thiongo was elated following the recognition and termed it a great achievement considering that the Kiambu County Assembly is the second largest assembly in the country with 86 MCAs. Taking to social media, Thiongo dedicated the win to the members and staff of the Kiambu County Assembly and the people of the county in general. “The Kiambu County Assembly will continue to robustly play its role of legislation, representation, and oversight with a view to ensuring that our people get optimal services from the county government,” said Thiongo.In an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke, Thiongo, who is also a lawyer, listed some of the county bills that he had overseen that he takes pride in. They include: The Ward Fund Bill (Revenue Allocation Bill 2023) guaranteeing each of the 60 wards a minimum amount of KSh 10 million for development, equivalent to the CDF for MP’s The Kiambu Revenue Authority Bill 2023, which established the Kiambu Revenue Authority to enhance revenue collection equivalent to the Kenya Revenue Authority. This would enable the county government to accelerate development. Thiongo also oversaw the formulation of the Kiambu Persons Living With Disability Bill 2024—to establish a fully-fledged department in the executive to ensure that the welfare of PWD’s is catered for, including ensuring they access employment and business opportunities and all buildings and facilities are PWD friendly. Also, the lawyer takes pride in the Kiambu Community Health Promoters (CHP) Bill 2024 to ensure that the welfare of CHP in the county is catered for, including ensuring they are absorbed by the County Public Service Board Why Kiambu County Assembly is flourishing Asked about what sets the Kiambu assembly apart from other counties, the University of Nairobi alumni said they have been able to cultivate a harmonious and collaborative working relationship with the county executive even as they play our oversight role to ensure development is not affected due to wrangles The speaker also said they have emphasized in training and capacity building of their members to ensure they effectively play their roles of legislation, representation and oversight “We have enhanced public participation and stakeholder engagement in our county to ensure that we involve the Kiambu electorate in our legislative processes,” said Thiongo. Speaking on his future plans after being crowned the best speaker, Thiongo said he was focused on delivering his mandate to the people of Kiambu. He, however, hinted at running for the Githunguri Constituency seat in 2027. “My singular focus now is serving the Kiambu County as the Speaker until 2027, when the term ends. The people of Kiambu will after the lapse of the term assess our work and decide which other responsibilities to entrust us with. I come from Githunguri Constituency and contested in the UDA nominations in 2022. If the people of Githunguri would require my services in the future, we will sit together and take a common position as I have a lot of passion for serving our people,” said Thiongo. Aside from his speaker role, Thiongo is undertaking a Master’s in Diplomacy and International Relations from the University of Nairobi. He intends to enrol for PHD in Law in September.
by Jackson Otukho Nancy Odindo