Four Nairobi County executives could be sanctioned after MCAs censured them for ignoring summonses to appear before the assembly.
They are Mohamed Dagane (Roads and Infrastructure), Larry Wambua (Environment), Allan Igambi (Finance) and Charles Kerich (Land and Planning).
Kerich is also the acting Health executive following the suspension of Hitan Majevdia in May by Governor Mike Sonko over allegations of incompetence.
The MCAs on Wednesday unanimously endorsed a report of the Implementation Committee on implementation of assembly resolutions by the county executives.
The report tabled in the chamber by Minority leader Elias Otieno, recommends punishment of the executives.
“The assembly strongly censures the executives for persistently and willfully ignoring invites for committee meetings, including summonses,” the report reads.
The report said the officers failed to honour two invitations and subsequent summonses to appear before the panel to respond to queries involving their sectors.
Kerich, who has served in four dockets since he was appointed by Governor Sonko late last year, denied ignoring the summonses.
“None of the four committees that I have had the opportunity to deal with has ever had a complaint regarding cooperation, adherence and honoring of summonses, apart from Health,” Kerich said.
He explained that invitation notices by Health committee have been too short. He said invitations by the two committees (Health and Planning) sometimes coincide, forcing him to skip one. Besides Lands and Health dockets, Kerich has also served as ICT and Finance executive.
“I have pointed out to them that we serve at the pleasure of the governor. When he tells me to serve or act in a particular docket, I have to do that,” he said.
County executives usually respond to queries raised by MCAs regarding development in their wards, or grievances raised by their constituents through committees.
The committees, through the chairperson, provide responses in the chamber after interrogating the responsible executive.
Wambua declined to comment, saying he had not seen the report. Igambi and Dagane did not return phone calls.
The report also indicted most of the executives in Sonko’s administration for not being able to adequately tone issues affecting their sectors. “The county executive has failed to submit to the county assembly its annual report on the implementation of status of the county policies and plans as provided for in the County Government Act,” the report says.