Members and staffers at the Bungoma municipality board have lamented a lack of office to conduct their activities.
Board members on Tuesday said they could not hold a meeting because they did not have an office.
Both the staff and board members share offices with employees of the county department of public works.
Speaking in Bungoma town after the aborted meeting, municipality board members Walinywa Mukhamule and Jeremiah Kuloba said it was baffling that they do not have an office despite the World Bank releasing funds for municipalities.
Bungoma Municipal Board got Sh193 million from the World Bank as a grant while Kimilili received Sh327 million.
“The offices that were allocated to the municipality board and staff belong to the department of public works. They were to move but have since declined to vacate the premises,” Walinywa said.
Kuloba said they were unable to have a board meeting because of lack of office space.
“We are sometimes forced to eject staff from the small and densely populated office that was donated by the department of public works if we have to have our board meetings,” Kuloba said.
The duo said Governor Wycliffe Wangamati had previously directed that the municipality be given offices that were occupied by the department of public works, the move stalled due to the resistance from the executive.
“We even don’t understand why the governor directed that we given offices but the CEC in charge of roads and public works Collins Mukhongo downplayed the directive. We now have to work under trees.”
Mukhongo declined to comment on the matter.
Walinywa said municipalities offer essential services to residents and that it wasn’t fair for its board to lack physical offices .
“Where do you expect residents to get theses services from? I think it is high time the county does away with these municipalities if they aren’t interested,” he said.