By LUCAS BARASA
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ODM is to deploy a fact-finding team to Taita Taveta County following a row between Members of County Assembly and Governor Granton Samboja that has threatened to stall services in the county.
Mr Samboja has signed a memorandum to dissolve the devolved unit over a budget impasse with the assembly saying wrangles between the Executive and the MCAs were affecting development.
DEVELOPMENT FUND
The move, he said, has been necessitated by wrangles over Sh830 million the MCAs allocated themselves through Ward Development Fund.
The county assembly passed a Sh5.3 billion budget with each MCA allocating themselves Sh41.5 million for projects in their wards.
On Monday, ODM leader Raila Odinga who held talks with the MCAs, mainly elected on ODM ticket in his office in Nairobi said the ward representatives sought audience over the stand-off with the county’s Executive.
“Mr Odinga took the opportunity to call for an end to the adversarial relationship between county assemblies and county executives,” Mr Odinga’s spokesman Dennis Onyango said.
In statement, Mr Onyango said the ODM leader promised to send a fact-finding team to Taita Taveta after which he will convene another meeting between the assembly and the executive.
The country, he said, has no option but to review the structure and operations of devolution to make it work better and ensure voters get value for money.
Mr Odinga also called for an end to the adversarial relationship between the national government and county governments.
He expressed disappointment with the wastage and outright theft of public resources being witnessed in counties some of which are coming out in ongoing court cases.
COUNTY DISSOLUTION
He further expressed disappointment that counties “are replicating the very ills that made Kenyans call for devolution with more money going to salaries and little to development.”
The ODM leader appealed to counties to pursue consultation as a priority.
Mr Samboja has also since held consultations with Mr Odinga on how to address the row with the MCAs.
The governor’s team have collected signatures from locals for the dissolution of the county government.
The Constitution only allows for suspension of a county government by the President in case of an emergency arising out of internal conflict or in any other exceptional circumstances.
But a county government cannot be suspended unless an independent commission of inquiry has investigated allegations against the county government and the President is satisfied that the allegations are justified.
The Senate has to authorise the suspension, which can only be for a period of 90 days. On expiry of the 90 days, the law allows for an election to be held.