City MCAs have threatened to paralyse House business and boycott plenary sessions until the Executive releases funds for bursaries.
In a heated assembly session on Thursday afternoon, the MCAs said it was time to act and no further explanation should be issued by the executive.
“We will not come to this house Mr. Speaker if our people do not get the bursary by Monday. We will leave you with the Speaker to conduct house business with these chairs!” Kayole Central’s Jeremiah Themendu said.
The members accused the House leadership of laxity and not doing enough to ensure the bursary problem is solved. David Mberia asked the house to speak in one voice regardless of whether they were elected or nominated and not access the chambers tomorrow.
The legislators were angered by acting Speaker Chege Mwaura’s ruling earlier that morning that the Powers and Privilege committee look into the incident that occurred on Wednesday and furnish the House with a comprehensive report within 14 days.
On Wednesday, the county’s Chief Officer for Finance Halkano Waqo and Education executive Lucia Mulwa were taken to task by the Education Committee over the bursary delay.
In the midst of the committee session, the situation turned ugly when Halkano was roughed up by MCAs as he left the committee room.
Mulwa sneaked out and locked herself in the next committee room and hid under the table until the angry MCAs left.
In his ruling, Chege also directed that the serjeant-at-arm take deliberate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of witnesses within precincts is maintained at all times.
He also ruled that chairs of committees are advised to take charge of the running of committees, and examination of witnesses.
Chege was accused of diverting the attention of members from demanding for their rights. Clay City MCA Mwaura Samora disputed the claims that the executive officers were roughed up, saying the members had approached to ask him to go back to the committee room.
Waithaka ward rep Antony Kiragu said, “We are desperate and do not want sideshows. We are human and you cannot blame a man for hitting a mosquito when it bites.” s
Deputy Minority Whip Moses Ogeto said the physical attack was unfortunate “but the truth is that Nairobians are waiting for bursaries”.
“Through your wisdom, Mr speaker, we need a concrete answer and the House leadership should give us a direction because the matter at hand is weighty,” he said.
“If the executive doesn’t want us to have bursaries it’s fine. Let them not give us in future. But they should keep their word and let us have last year’s and this year’s bursaries,” Minority leader Elias Otieno said.
In the afternoon plenary session, Hamza MCA Mark Ndung’u asked Governor Mike Sonko to immediately sack his Education executive over the bursary ‘scandal’.
“Our governor is usually very vocal on how he will sack lazy and corrupt staff. He should take action and sack the Education CEC,” he said.
Supporting him, Kiragu threatened to collect signatures from a third of the House to push the Governor to sack her.
High rise MCA Kennedy Oyugi said, “The truth is, we are dealing with the wrong executives who are bringing false reports with misleading information, while we are the people on the ground and know the cry of the parents.”
