MCAs threaten to impeach Waiguru again

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru is staring at another impeachment if ward representatives make good their threats.

The MCAs have given the governor a seven-day ultimatum to withdraw a case she filed in the High Court challenging the amendment of the executive budget.

They are also demanding the payment of workers’ salaries.

Speaking in Sagana town Friday, the MCAs accused the governor of moving to court and throwing the county into a financial crisis.

“She is frustrating efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic by suing to challenge the budget amendment. The workers have also not been paid their July salaries,” the Baragwi ward representative David Mathenge said.

The MCAs vowed that  they would for the second time move a motion to kick the governor out of office should she fail to meet their demands by the expiry of the ultimatum.

“We shall not spare Ms Waiguru. She must be impeached again,” said Mr Mathenge, who is also the assembly’s budget committee chairman.

Thiba ward representative Pius Njogu said efforts by the MCAs to end the budget standoff have totally failed.

“We have met with the governor more than eight times but we have not agreed on the way forward,” Mr Njogu added.

Ngariama ward representative Erastus Ireri reiterated that the MCAs were tired of Ms Waiguru’s hard stance.

Ms Waiguru took on ward representatives for altering the 2020/2021 budget and vowed that she will not approve it.

The county boss accused the MCAs of plotting to sabotage the operations of her administration.

She termed the move by the Kirinyaga MCAs illegal arguing that the assembly submitted a completely new budget with a variation of over 30 percent, going against the requirement of Regulation 37 (1) of the Public Finance (county government)

Regulations 2015 which limits the assembly variations to 1% of the ceilings.

Ms Waiguru accused the assembly of allocating Sh300 million meant to pay salaries for health workers to construction of ward offices.

Ms Waiguru also took issue with the MCAs for deducting Sh59 million county’s legal fee. She said that the decision will hamper the executive’s efforts in pursuing 200 cases mostly involving recovery of irregularly acquired public land.

The dispute is still pending in the High Court.

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