A section of governors during a previous press conference. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

 

Outgoing governors eyeing senate seats in the August 9 elections have upset members of Nairobi County Assembly. 

Governors Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni), Cornel Rasanga (Siaya), Samuel Tunai (Narok), Jackson Mandago (Uasin Gishu) and Ali Roba (Mandera) have indicated interest in contesting for the senate after the lapse of their tenure in four months. 

Yesterday, a section of MCAs from Nairobi urged the National Assembly to bar governors who have served for two terms from running for Senate seats.

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Led by Deputy Majority Whip Waithera Chege, the ward reps said some governors who have served for 10 years have pending integrity cases in the Senate and could be a stumbling block to investigations if elected to the same institution investigating them.

“I have seen billboards of several outgoing governors with pending integrity files, running for Senate. How will they audit reports covering their tenure?" posed Waithera. 

She said once they get into Senate, they could use their influence to be appointed chairpersons to powerful committees and use their positions to “clean their slates”.

“If they become chairs of Public Accounts Committee and Public Investments Committee, how will they interrogate audit reports on their counties?” she asked.

They want the National Assembly to enact a law barring governors who have served for two terms from seeking senate seats, until at least after five years.  

At the same time, Waithera defended her recent move to decamp from the ruling Jubilee party to Deputy President William Ruto’s UDA ahead of party nominations in April. She was among 19 Jubilee MCAs who ditched Jubilee for UDA.

“Jubilee government abandoned Nairobi County after the 2017 elections. Not even once did the party leadership call on the MCAs to be taken through the agenda President Uhuru Kenyatta had for the capital city in his last term,” said Waithera.

“Nairobi is critical to the country’s operations but we were left on our own after the elections which led to the chaotic reign witnessed between 2018 and early 2020," she added.