Standoff as Meru governor deems MCAs ward fund demand unconstitutional.
Earlier, Meru governor, Kawira Mwangaza removed the members of county assembly from a whatsapp group.
Yesterday, a petition was filed to impeach Hon. Kawira Mwangaza for gross conduct and abuse of office( favourism and nepotism).
According to the MCAs , Kawira mwangaza is handing jobs to her family members including the husband and sisters.
On the other hand, In a letter dated october 27 , there has been a Standoff as Meru governor deems MCAs ward fund demand unconstitutional.
Kawira wrote a letter to the controller of budget seeking advice, on the MCAs demand of allocation of a ward fund in each of the 47 wards.
Kawira wrote,”While the primacy of equitable allocation of county revenues, development projects and access to soci-economic opportunities to all wards and Meru county citizens is a constitutional requirement, I believe the demands by Hon. Members of Meru County for an MCA-managed Ward Fund may be an illegality and therefore unconstitutional.”
She went ahead to state that allocation of the ward fund would be a scratch on County Governments Act, the Public Finance Management Act and Public Procurement and Disposal Act.
She added,” In view of the above, and in order to get the correct legal and administrative position on this matter, I’m seeking your advisory opinion on whether Members of the Meru County Assembly can legally be allocated ward funds to be administered by themselves at the ward level.”
The members of county assembly, are demanding for the establishment of the Ward Development Fund to enable them fulfill their pre-campaign pledges.
Kawira said,”The argument by the Hon. Members is that during their campaigns, they made promises to their electorate which they now desire to implement using dedicated allocations to the ward fund.”
Kawira argued that the MCAs can include their projects in the budget through the county integrated developmental plan.
Kawira said,”During this process, MCAs and the local community are at liberty to include priority projects into the CIDP, that MCAs then allocate budgets during subsequent budgeting projects.”
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