Stop your witch hunt, executives tell MCAs

Nandi Education CEC Valentine Chumo has sought stay orders from the labour relations court. MCAs are pressing for her impeachment. [Courtesy]

County executives in the North Rift have accused MCAs of unfairly targeting them with impeachment Motions to stop them from working independently.

Already, two impeachment Motions against Elgeyo Marakwet Roads executive Kevin Biwott and Nandi Education boss Valentine Chumo are pending in the respective county assemblies.

The two County Executive Committee (CEC) members, however, went to court and obtained orders stopping their sacking until the cases are determined.

The executives now term the Motions a witch hunt by the MCAs due to their (CECs) firmness in implementation of key projects.

“I am currently being fought because I am a woman who has worked hard in my docket. Their move is malicious and a witch hunt,” said Ms Chumo.

The MCAs gave Governor Stephen Sang a week to sack her based on the County Assembly Education Committee report, which showed that her department had lost millions of shillings through skewed procurement deals.

“The big question is why now? With all these allegations against me, you mean they did not realise that the ECDEs were incomplete in the 2017/18 financial year? I was not in the Education department then,” she said.

Uasin Gishu Finance executive Julius Ruto said their roles were guided by the law and MCAs should not intimidate them to serve their vested interests.

“MCAs are politicians while CECs are in office guided by the law, especially the Public Finance Management Act. They do not act or institute projects without following the law and are currently soft targets,” said Rutto.

“Cases of impeachment are meant to scare us and there is a challenge when MCAs push certain interests beyond the expected limit. How do you expect a CEC to work under such harsh environment?”

He said the same MCAs vetted and approved the executives for appointment, and should therefore give them space to work.

Stanley Baliach, the Nandi Lands CEC, said the MCAs were plotting to impeach hard working executives to weaken Governor Sang’s administration.

“The MCAs want to torture us psychologically so that the locals see them to be working hard. But all they want is to bring down rising stars who are at the fore front in defending the governor’s vision. I am also among the targets,” he said.

But Nandi County Assembly Speaker Joshua Kiptoo defended the MCAs, saying they had genuine concerns and were keen on ensuring service delivery.

“Currently there is a slow uptake of funds and the members are genuine. The buck stops with the CECs and the MCAs are entitled to oversight them,” she said.

Elgeyo Marakwet MCAs have summoned Biwott again to appear today over claims that he is favouring one part of the county with roads projects.

“Some CECs do not respond to summonses and in the assembly the MCAs have been basing their move on departmental audits,” said Paul Kibyatich an ad hoc committee member.

In Trans Nzoia, the MCAs last month threatened to impeach then Health CEC Christine Tanguli until she was moved to the Lands department.

The assembly accused her of incompetence, claiming health services had deteriorated.