Taita Taveta MCAs demand probe into graft, excess travel and unfair hiring in county

A section of Members of the Taita Taveta County Assembly has called for a comprehensive investigation into alleged corruption, frequent foreign trips and biased employment practices within the county government.

The group of four MCAs, former Deputy Speaker Chrispus Tondoo, Dorcus Mlughu (Rong’e), Halifa Taraya (Mboghonyi), and Azhar Din (Kaloleni), said both the county executive and the assembly must be scrutinised by investigative agencies for what they described as systemic malpractices that have hindered development and service delivery.

The MCAs, who were recently removed from the Budget and Public Accounts Committee, claim the situation has affected service delivery and that residents are suffering due to mismanagement and lack of accountability.

“It is clear that Governor Andrew Mwadime is under siege by the overzealous MCAs. He cannot perform his mandate for fear of impeachment,” Tondoo said.

He accused a section of the assembly of arm-twisting the governor to serve selfish political interests.

“We are ready to cooperate with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to stop pilferage of public resources,” he said.

“We are ready to give them relevant and crucial information to help them do their work and end the suffering of the people of Taita Taveta,” Tondoo, who also decried the deteriorating living standards in the county, said.

He claimed that some MCAs are pushing personal agendas at the expense of the electorate, who continue to grapple with abject poverty, high unemployment rates and stalled development.

“The assembly has become a rogue and slaughterhouse for the critics of the assembly leadership. We have been profiled as rebels,” he said.

Halifa Taraya echoed the concerns, accusing both the executive and the assembly of engaging in tribal and nepotistic practices in public appointments. He claimed that two individuals were recently promoted within the assembly without the positions being publicly advertised or subjected to competitive hiring.

The county assembly leadership, however, dismissed the accusations, terming them as dishonest and misleading.

County Assembly Clerk Gadiel Maghanga said the four MCAs had also benefited from the same foreign trips they now criticise and suggested that their protest was triggered by their removal from influential committees.

“I know the MCAs are furious because they were removed from some committees. This did not go down well with them. Why didn’t they speak up while serving on those House committees?” Maghanga posed.

County Secretary Friday Mwafuga defended the executive, refuting claims that it was being controlled or threatened by the assembly.

“We do not take orders from the assembly to perform our executive duties, as the two arms of the county government have different roles,” Mwafuga said.

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During the Madaraka Day celebrations, Acting Assembly Speaker Anselim Mwadime also weighed in, expressing concern over the mounting criticism of the assembly on social media. However, he maintained that the House would not be distracted from its constitutional responsibilities.

“There is a lot on social media, but this will not distract us from performing our oversight and legislative roles,” he said.

The four MCAs have, however, reiterated that urgent investigations are necessary to restore integrity in the county’s governance.