Kiambu governor meets with MCAs after street protests

Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi finally met with MCAs to address contentious issues threatening the stability of his county government.

This came after the MCAs staged a demonstration at county headquarters on Tuesday, demanding an audience with the governor over several issues including bursary funds.

The governor promised that by the first week of February, the county will issue bursary funds.

"We are now at peace and we are working together. We have a short five-year term to work for Kiambu people," Wamatangi said.

Assembly majority leader Godfrey Mucheke said they all agreed to work as a team.

He said the assembly and the Executive will work together and they will not allow the county to follow the path of the first and second governors.

"We don't have rifts among ourselves and our resolve is to work as a team and deliver to the Kiambu voters," Mucheke said.

Kiambu assembly Deputy Chief Whip and Ndeiya MCA Munga Mbuiyu said they addressed issues that had caused disquiet.

"We have ironed out issues to do with bursaries, road maintenance and construction. Governor Wamatangi has committed himself towards this cause and we are thankful that we were able to sit together and engage," Munga said.

The MCAs had staged a protest saying they want the governor to address them.

Munga claimed since they took the oath of office, nothing has been forthcoming in terms of development.

"We are the representatives of the people, but Wamatangi has brought an amorphous group called Wamatangi Foundation to do our job, the governor must delink his foundation from the MCAs' mandate," he said. "We have been forced to play hide and seek games with the electorate as we have no answers to their questions."

Limuru East MCA Macharia Wambui said pressure from people over poor service delivery pushed them to demonstrate.

"We are between a rock and a hard place, at home the public is castigating us because there is nothing going on including the simplest of activities like fixing tower lamps. We are now tired and we want the governor to tell us if he will work with us or not," Macharia said.

He told Wamatangi there is a difference between his foundation and MCAs in service delivery.

He said the involvement of the Wamatangi Foundation in county matters undermines MCAs role as people's representative.

They termed the foundation an illegal entity in county affairs.

"If Wamatangi does not stop this group, we as the assembly will gang up and flush them out," Macharia said.

Senator Karungo Thangwa said MCAs have a collective responsibility to seek an audience with the governor.