Uproar as MCA who supported Kawira is excluded from Tanzania trip, committees

Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza arrives at the Senate for her impeachment hearing on December 28, 2022. [ Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The only Meru MCA who opposed the impeachment of Governor Kawira Mwangaza is lamenting exclusion.

Kiagu Ward’s Simon Ngaruni claims he was being vilified and isolated “as a result of exercising my democratic choice”.

Ngaruni said he was barred from attending meetings of committees he was a member of.

In addition to not attending the various select committee’s, Ngaruni said he had been excluded from a trip to Tanzania scheduled from early next week.

Ngaruni is now appealing to the UDA headquarters to intervene and have him reinstated in the committees.

Even as he bemoaned discrimination which he attributed to the fact that he went against all the MCAs by supporting Governor Kwira, Ngaruni reaffirmed his commitment to obey his constituent’s wishes.

He said by opposing the motion that Abogeta West MCA Dennis Kiogora had formed in the bid to oust Kawira, he was representing his people’s wishes.

Ngaruni said the Tanzania trip is a bench-marking trip to learn best practices in environmental management.

Yesterday Ngaruni told The Standard he had nothing against his colleagues and that he wished they could coexist in an atmosphere that tolerates diverse stands on issues.

He demanded fairness for all members irrespective of their affiliations and views.

“I have no issues. They (reps) are my colleagues and we have to coexist. I do not see why we should be at loggerheads. My opinion was no (to impeachment) and the Senate advised us (Meru leaders) to unite and deliver development to the people,” Ngaruni said.

The rep said it was a good time to let bygones be bygones “for us to forget our differences in opinion and start 2023 as a team”.

Ngaruni said he did not see any reason for him to be left behind as his colleagues embark on the Tanzanian tour.

“I am the elected Kiagu Ward rep and have a right to also go on the bench-marking trip for the benefit of residents. I do not see why I should be excluded yet there are nominated MCAs going”. It is very unfortunate for me to be ignored because I had a different opinion in supporting the Governor.

He said while he had not be struck of committee members he had been barred from participating in their deliberations.

“It looks as if they are disciplining me for not agreeing with them”.

He wrote to the party headquarters to shed light on why he was stopped from participating in committees.

He is member of Youth, Gender and Culture, Public Accounts and Investments, Trade, Tourism and Cooperatives, Development, Education and others.

In requesting party headquarters to intervene and protect him Ngaruni said: “The impeachment was not a UDA matter. Had it been, I would have received a letter to that effect,” he stated.

According to the Hansard of December 14, 2022, Ngaruni was discharged from the committees by the UDA party.

“The Meru County Assembly’s Standing Order No 160 (1) states that the Political Party that nominated a member to a committee, may give notice, in writing, to the Speaker that a member is to be discharged from the committee. The UDA party, therefore, gives notice that Hon Simon Kiambi Ngaruni is to be discharged from the following committees,” said Speaker Ayub Bundi, before listing the committees.

Ngaruni, in a separate interview with a local FM vernacular station, Ngaruni accused the Assembly of fairness by not including him in the trip.

Yesterday, Mr Bundi appeared not amused by Ngaruni’s decision to air his grievances through the media.

“If correspondences are done through the radio, let him wait for that communication through the radio!”