MCAs are the pot calling the kettle black

Youth Affairs Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya.

On September 29, 2014, a man believed to be mentally ill thoroughly whipped Opposition chief Raila Odinga and former Governor Salim Mvuyra.

The leaders were attacked while enjoying the ‘sengenya’ dance in Kinango, Kwale County, surrounded by traditional dancers. The incident raised fears over safety of dignitaries in public events.

Come this week on Monday, Mr Mvurya fell victim yet again when ward reps booted him from a meeting in Nairobi, demanding to be addressed by President William Ruto.

The Youth Affairs Cabinet Secretary had come to represent Ruto at the 5th Legislative Summit of the County Assemblies Forum, but was whisked away amid chants of ‘no Ruto, no summit.’

The scenes seemed like a ‘reincarnation’ of the Kinango incident. The MCAs were to discuss strengthening of devolution.

Their talks also focused on intergovernmental relations and increased funding to counties. But speaker after speaker, angered by Ruto’s absence, trained their guns on governors for ‘killing’ devolution.

Ridding on their powerful position at the grassroots, the MCAs seemed ready for war with anyone on sight. But it was their attack on governors that ran at odds with their failures.

Their vitriol was a clever distraction from their typical greed, which makes them the biggest threat to devolution. By following a self-serving path, they embody the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ ideology, but for how long?

For those familiar with the New Testament, there was a day Jesus Christ called out the Pharisees for pretending to be righteous while inwardly corrupt. Same way, we must remind MCAs that they’re the missing link in devolution. They have become unnecessarily larger than life.

Known as ‘councillors’ in the old order, MCAs have held governors to ransom at every turn. Their presence in the assemblies is characterised by graft, opulence, pointless benchmarking trips and threats of impeachment that breed blackmail and extortion. Then, they shout the loudest about malpractices in their counties. It’s now the pot calling the kettle black!

Figures don’t lie. A report by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o last year showed that county executives and MCAs spent Sh1.54 billion on domestic and foreign travel at the start of the 2024-2025.

In Nairobi County alone, they splurged Sh1.2 billion on trips in just nine months. We hear that some governors, with the approval of MCAs, dish out money to party leaders.

Coming to impeachments, why would MCAs be the guns for hire, ready to ‘annihilate’ targets at will? We saw this in Kirinyaga, Siaya, Meru, Nairobi, Migori and even Makueni where a standoff between ward reps and then Governor Kivutha Kibwana led to the suspension of the county in 2015. Residents even petitioned President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve the county.

Devolution has improved lives, no doubt. In the northern counties for instance, the transformation is historic. But it’s also true that some, if not most of the 47 counties, have squandered the opportunity to uplift Wanjiku’s life despite cumulatively receiving more than Sh3.6 trillion, including equitable share and additional allocations since 2013.

Most counties to date carry the baggage of poor management, nepotism, graft or simply failure by the leadership to appreciate devolution. And who’s directly to blame? MCAs, because they’ve dropped the ball on oversight despite earning nearly Sh800,000 a month from salary, mileage, airtime, per diem and many hefty perks from trips.

They’re now drooling over the ward fund. They also want a 700 per cent pay rise no matter what the Salaries and Remuneration Commission stipulates.

No wonder their job is the most sought-after in Kenyan politics. A few of the 2,243 MCAs are selfless but majority have been held captive by greed and big-headedness. Plainly put, it’s a ‘garbage in garbage out’ situation.

They’ve become partners in crime with some governors, leading to dereliction of duty as Ms Nyakang’o confirmed in her address to the Nairobi summit. Before demanding to be addressed by Ruto, ward reps must stop using their unchecked power to frustrate devolution.