Kenya's Most Authoritative Political Newspaper

Citizen Weekly

Sunday 16 November 2014

KAKAMEGA COUNTY MCAs SCORE CARD TESTED, FOUND WANTING


Some members of the Kakamega county assembly from Malava constituency are now facing rejection from the electorate who are pointing an accusing finger at them for allegedly being slippery.
Mugai Shirugu ward representative Albert Wetundu, and his East Kabras counterpart Peter Mwombe have come under scathing attack from the residents who now have vowed to collect signatures so as to recall them from the assembly over what is seen as underperformance.
This comes in the wake of the two having become inaccessible by the public seeking assistance and guidance over the many uncompleted projects in their wards.
“Efforts by the electorate to seek straight records of the many incomplete, unattended to and shoddy work done in their various respective wards,” have fallen on deaf ears.
Even efforts to reach them on their mobile phones have turned futile as they are never answer, the residents claimed.
Wetundu who was elected on a United Democratic Front ticket can only be found in Mumias courtesy of the county government of Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya attending various functions so as to act as the mouth piece for the governor who has managed to snatch him from his best friend and political mentor Soita Shitanda.
It is said the move to lean towards Oparanya was after insiders claim that Shitanda taps had become dry after he contested the Kakamega governor’s seat during the 2013 general elections.
Wetundu’s acting as the mouthpiece to the governor has not gone down well with the residents of Mumias who have promised to teach him a lesson should he continue abusing their leaders in public forums whenever he is there in return for goodies from the governor’s office.
Residents are now loudly complaining on his delivery of services.
His character and ability to deliver has become questionable after he awarded a verbal road construction contract to a one John Marani whom residents accuse of doing shoddy works on Mukhuyu-Lusumu bridge road.
Wetundu has further come under scrutiny after he failed to honour a pledge he made to one of the best performing schools in his ward where he had attended an education function.
While at the Friend’s School Malava Primary School, Wetundu requested the management of the school to write a Sh1million water project proposal which he assured the public in attendance that he could handle in a period of not more than two months.
However, upon receiving the proposal, we established that the MCA rejected and told the management to reduce it to Sh500,000 which he again rejected demanding that they further reduce it to Sh250,000 which he has now finally totally overlooked as efforts by the school’s management to reach him have been always thwarted by his close henchmen.
The school’s headteacher, Jacob Masitsa, we established is now facing pressure from parents who are of the view that he might have squandered the cash unaware of the tribulations the school head is going through as Wetundu has refused to pick even his calls.
Nevertheless, it requires a lionhearted man to face the MCA whom it is said was forced to honour a pledge of five bags of cement he made to Friend’s School Sambuli Primary after the management of the school threatened to convene a meeting with the locals and expose him. 
His ward office is full of his close relatives, it is claimed. Top on the list is the wife of his firstborn son Alex Wetundu whom he employed in the defunct Malava town council when he was the chairman, leaving the poor innocent locals with nowhere to rush to other than wallow in abject poverty as their educated children remain jobless.
Wetundu has always bragged of wearing a size 47 inch trouser with a big stomach and big buttocks to push away any potential force directed against his leadership.
In East Kabras, Machoni Chitayi a resident accuses a man who has never spoken in public nor in the county assembly Peter Mwombe of demanding kickbacks from contractors who also end up performing shoddy jobs of the awarded works.
Mwombe is nowhere to be seen in educational functions neither can he afford to join those bereaved in his ward as their elected leader.
The two MCAs are also accused of failing to account for Sh11million each of that their wards received from the county government.
The deputy governor Kakamega county Philip Kutima in response to the questions raised by residents during a burial in Sundulo village of Mugai Shirugu ward, said they had received similar complaints and were reviewing to have the money controlled by the county government office. 
He said counties such as Chekalini ward in Lugari led by Kakamega county leader of minority Titus Kwoma, Manda Shivanga ward of Mark Marindi,  Butali/Chegulo under Wycliffe Gimoi, South Kabras in whose hands is Bryson Sikolia and Chemuche ward  of Steve Wambulwa which could be added more funds to improve on infrastructure.
Of the allocations of Sh11million awarded to every ward, we established who established much of it was invested in roads and education sectors with each ward having more than 200 beneficiaries of bursary funds with the lowest beneficiary being awarded Sh5,000 while the highest was pegged at Sh30,000 with the gravelled roads being passable despite the heavy rains.
However, the members of the county assembly bitterly complained that the amount was too little urging the county government to add more funds especially on education kitty.
Among the MCA is former journalist Edward Inzofu Indumuli of West Kabras.

No comments:

Post a Comment