The paramount purpose of devolution was to take development and services closer to mwananchi.
But this noble idea has been hijacked by greedy, self-centred county leaders, among them MCAs, who have designed all manner of tricks to steal development funds.
Out of the money allocated and collected by our counties, the bigger percentage goes towards paying wages and salaries while an incredibly small part is left for development.
Shockingly, it’s this small portion that MCAs have been filling their pockets with. According to a report by the Controller of Budget, some MCAs pocket up to Sh25,000 daily in allowances.
This does not augur well for the expectations and dreams of the majority highly-impoverished Kenyans, who are in dire need of development and government services.
Majority of governors have been rendered helpless by MCAs through intimidation and threats of impeachment. This has left the county chiefs as lame duck leaders and at the mercy of the ward reps who arm-twist them.
Interestingly, most of the counties lack basic facilities, services and policies needed to spur growth.
Medicines, health equipment, farm chemicals, seeds, livestock vaccines and firefighting equipment, to mention a few, have been out of stock in a number of counties.
This, undoubtedly, shows poor prioritisation by the county leadership, who seem out of touch with the day to day struggles of the electorate.
It is time the MCAs rethought the interest of those who elected them and do what they should.
Wachiuri Wachira, Nairobi
Reports that MCAs in some counties are paid as much as three times what the rest who respect accountability earn are nauseating, to say the least.
This is not a matter we expect anyone to remain silent about. President Uhuru Kenyatta should note that things are going haywire. He should shout first when such profligacy is reported.
The President should order a crackdown on those MCAs who think it’s “their turn to eat” and order them to return the money.
George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm that “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others”. I am gutted by the latest revelation that some MCAs are taking home hefty, undeserved and unnecessary allowances.
Money that could have been used to improve our lives through important projects is instead being channelled to their already ‘fat accounts’. It is such a shame.
The Daily Nation has revealed that the country is chocking on debt yet MCAs have the guts to line their pockets at the expense of projects to uplift Kenyans.
The poor will remain poor while the rich continue to prosper. Somebody somewhere somehow needs to step up and tame the bud of this gluttony.
Or what was the essence of the austerity calls by the President, since nothing has changed?
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