Malombe criticises Wambua over his oversight style

Malombe said although Wambua had the right to oversight the county government, he was not doing it right but taking advantage of oversight tours in Kitui to campaign for the governor position.

The governor on Wednesday said Wambua's way of playing his oversight role was unacceptable as some recommendations he was making about county projects are unrealistic.

“We are totally opposed to the way he is doing things,” Malombe said.

He faulted what he termed as Wambua’s  lone ranger style of leadership saying senators should instead carry out oversight through various Senate sectoral committees.

He was addressing a press conference after presiding over the roll-out of the Court Annexed Mediation at Kitui law courts, where he was the chief guest.

Malombe is unhappy with Wambua despite insistence by the latter that he was not undermining the governor but only carrying out his constitutional mandate. 

In a rejoinder,  Wambua said on Thursday that he was not ready to engage in altercation with the governor.

Instead he vowed to continue with his oversight role objectively and openly.

"I shall resist temptation to engage in unnecessary and ill informed altercations with the governor in regard to the constitutional roles and responsibilities of my office," said the senator in a statement.

He said his promise to the people of Kitui was that he would carry out his  responsibilities objectively. 

Wambua added that the oversight programme he was executing  across the county would go on as scheduled.

"I urge the people of Kitui to use this opportunity to say what has gone wrong and/or right with county government projects in their areas," he said.

"I assure them that I will articulate their concerns without fear, favour or ill will. It shall be well," the senator said.

Speaking during an Oversight Mashinani forum at the stalled Kabati slaughter house in Kitui west on January 23,  the senator dismissed claims that he is fighting the governor.

He said his oversight role should not be misconstrued as a political war against Malombe.

But Malombe claims that during his visits to Musovo dispensary, stalled Kabati slaughterhouse and the multi million-shilling collapsed Kwa-Kilui stone crusher, Wambua’s speech was 70 per cent political.

He accused the senator of being obsessed with campaigning for the governor’s seat. He said it was obvious that Wambua, the Kitui Women Representative Irene Kasalu and Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu and 10 other were salivating for governorship.

The governor said if the senator was genuinely concerned about the failure to operationalise Musovo dispensary that was set up many year back, he would have taken advantage of his time as senator between 2017 to 2022 to get a donor to intervene.

Malombe also accused Wambua of demanding that his administration pays the contractor for Kabati Slaughterhouse projects Sh38 million while the initial project sum in 2008 was Sh4 million.  

He said the county government had already paid Sh6 million for the project ruling out further payment.

He also faulted the senator for suggesting that the county government should erect a perimeter fence around a private land where the Kwa-Kilui stone crusher stands. It was acquired on lease agreement.

“The things he has been suggesting makes one wonder whether that is the way he will do things if he becomes a governor.

“He wants us to fence off a private land. Can tax payers’ money be used to build a fence around a private land?” Malombe posed.

He said such a move would obviously attract audit queries.

The governor also ruled out any possibility of the county government engaging in commercial running of the Kwa-Kilui stone crusher like it happened during the reign of his predecessor Charity Ngilu.

 He said the government was not  supposed to engage in competition with private entrepreneurs.

“The idea of  stone crushing was born during my administration as the pioneer governor.

“We had an objective to have locals form a cooperative society to which we would offer facilitation to manage and run a stone crasher. It was not for the government to run the a facility,” Malombe said.

“It should be known that the county government of Kitui will not engage in commercial activities to compete with the enterprising populations,” he said.