A group of human rights activists from Garissa wants the executive probed for lack of public participation in county affairs and rampant corruption.
The Garissa Community Development Watchdog Group on Monday presented a petition to the county assembly clerk Mohamed Santur seeking House intervention.
Speaking to the press outside the chambers, group chairman Hassan Aden Gumo said they made the move after the governor failed to have their issues raised.
“We are humbly calling on the assembly to promote, facilitate and prioritise public participation of all key decisions undertaken by the county,” the petition reads.
The petitioners also want the assembly to investigate the gross misappropriation of funds at the county government.
“There is rampant corruption and a lack of transparency and accountability and deliberate disregard by the administration not to address and curb the menace," the petition reads.
Gumo dismissed allegations that they are being used by some individuals to malign the county saying they were "only speaking for the voiceless in society".
“We want to make it very clear that this petition only seeks to guide, advance, facilitate and agitate for public participation in governance processes,” he said.
The Constitution is clear that public participation is a constitutional provision that the citizenry should be engaged in and their priorities known before any tender or project is undertaken, the chairman said.
"But we have never seen or heard about public participation forums being conducted at the ward level or subcounty or even at the headquarters," he said.
Abdihafith Bishar said they will write another petition to the Senate and promised to present evidence to prove they are not driven by malice but facts.
The clerk will scrutinise petition for seven days and if it meets the standards as per the standing orders of the Public Petition Act, he will then forward it to the speaker.
Should it not meet standards, the petitioners will be called back and advised on areas to correct for it to conform to the standing orders.
Edited by R.Wamochie
