Garissa MCAs have been urged to actively play their oversight role to ensure public funds are not misused.
Nominated Senator Falhadha Iman on Wednesday said failure to keep the executive in check could give room to mismanagement of funds.
"I want to urge our MCAs to take their oversight roles seriously because they are the eyes of wananchi," Falhadha said.
She spoke in Garissa town after a meeting with nominated women MCAs.
She said the county lawmakers were doing a good job but there was room for improvement. “You should understand that you are the gatekeepers of the common mwananchi,” Falhadha told the leaders.
Falhadha said it would be catastrophic for Northern counties to misuse funds after decades of marginalisation. “We all know we have lagged behind in development and cannot afford to misuse resources meant to uplift the living standards of our people,” she said.
She said devolution has presented an opportunity for the region to catch up with the rest of the country. "We cannot squander this chance."
The senator asked human right organisations to work with residents to ensure that funds allocated for various projects and programmes are put to prudent use.
Falhadha urged woman leaders to use their numbers to push for gender-related bills to protect their folk. She also called on the county government to ensure it only employs people with the right skills and required academic qualifications.
Two weeks ago, Garissa Township MP Aden Duale hit out at counties in Northeastern, saying they were hiring unqualified people to plum positions at the expense of qualified graduates.
However, Garissa Governor Ali Korane said all county employees were qualified and were legally hired.
Edited by Peter Obuya
