• The MCAs are acting in public interest to send the officers home over incompetence and corruption, says the Speaker.
• The executives accused of failing to utilise Sh1.5 billion budgeted last year and wasting millions on stalled projects.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
MCAs in Nandi are determined to impeach 12 of his executives and senior officers over claims of incompetence and graft.
Governor Stephen Sang acknowledges the ward representatives' concerns, but he downplays them by saying that they do not meet the impeachment threshold.
He says the executives have tried to deliver as public servants. “As much as the MCAs are within their mandate to sanction the executives, none of my officers will be impeached at the end of the day because there are no tangible issues against them.”
County Assembly Speaker Joshua Kiptoo says the MCAs are within their mandate to sanction or act against county officials who fail to serve the public effectively.
“The MCAs are acting for public interest and within the law. The concerns by the MCAs should not be taken lightly,” said Kiptoo
The county, according to the MCAs, did not spend Sh1.5 billion in last year’s budget. They are also concerned that millions of shillings were wasted on stalled projects such as more than 50 ECD classrooms.
Some residents are unhappy with Sang and accuse him of failing in his mandate. “The governor has failed to implement most of the projects he pledged during campaigns. He is rarely present in the county and we feel the regime of former governor Cleophas Lagat was doing better,” youth spokesman Stanley Kibet says.
Kibet wants the MCAs to target the governor for non-performance.
The governor denies that he is using the MCAs to cause the sacking of some of the executives to avoid blame. “As governor, I don’t need to go through the county assembly to send home the executives. In fact, a governor does not need a procedure to sack county executives,” he told the Star yesterday.
What was going on in Nandi, according to the governor, had all to do with the "usual small fights between MCAs and executives" but the differences will be sorted out the normal way.
The MCAs are targeting 12 top officers including five county executives and seven chief officers for impeachment over incompetence and corruption among other accusations.
Already the Assembly has picked education executive Valentine Chumo and her finance counterpart Alfred Lagat for sacking. But Chumo has obtained orders from the High Court stopping her dismissal.
A notice from the assembly says, “This house urges the county executive to suspend, for six months, the executive for Finance Alfred Lagat pursuant to Standing Order No 67 and for gross violation of Chapter Six of the Constitution and Public Finance Management Act pending investigations.”
Two chief officers for finance and planning and the head of the county supply chain have been suspended. Others on the chopping board are Public Administration, Trade and Lands executives.
Sang denies claims of rampant graft in his administration. “There are many fake stories and propaganda aimed at justifying the flawed processes being carried out in the county assembly,” he said.
Sang says most of the projects initiated by his administration are on course.
He has run into trouble with some of his executives and senior officers over rampant graft and incompetence. Area Senator Samson Cherargei also accuses the governor of being incompetence.