Commotion erupts at Wajir County Assembly over budget debate

On Tuesday morning, the Wajir County Assembly witnessed a tumultuous scene as members argued over the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025. The argument swiftly escalated into violent altercations and property damage in the assembly chambers.

A group of Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) strongly rejected the budget, sparking a heated debate. Some MCAs attempted to grab the Mace, the assembly's emblem of authority, while others caused damage to the chamber's amenities.

The sergeant-at-arms successfully protected the Mace, preventing its destruction by the angry members.

The opposition to the budget was driven by concerns about alleged irregularities in its content.

Ibrahim Hussein Abdi, MCA from Wagala Ganyure ward accused the governor and unnamed MPs of attempting to exert undue control over the County Assembly.

He emphasised the independence of the assembly and its role in representing the people of Wajir.

"This house is not an extension of the National Assembly, this house is independent and we are going to advocate for the people of Wajir," he said.

Ibrahim highlighted specific issues in the budget, including repeated funding allocations for completed projects.

He used the Wajir dumpsite as an example, saying that it was completed with funds from the previous budget. However, the new budget included an additional Sh47 million for the same project.

"The dumpsite was funded and completed and in today's budget that was tabled, the same dumpsite was allocated Sh47 million, where are they taking this money?" he questioned.

Yusuf Hussein Ahmed, MCA of Dela ward, also criticised the budget, accusing the governor of disproportionately allocating funds to a few wards within Wajir town while ignoring most of the 30 wards in Wajir County.

"The last two years we allocated a total of over Sh 1 billion for the payment of pending bills, but up to now, nobody has been paid, where did that money go?" he asked.

Yusuf stated that the MCAs would not pass the budget until the executive ensured fair allocation of funds across all 30 wards in Wajir County. He emphasised the need for each allocation to be itemised.

Abdi Mohamed Abdi, MCA of Ibrahim Ure ward, echoed these concerns, stating that the assembly had held several meetings with the governor, urging him to create a budget that would benefit the entire county.

"Wajir allocates Sh4 billion for development from its yearly budget but the governor said he has Sh600 million for that purpose this year, which means he does not care about Wajir," said Abdi.

He expressed disappointment, suggesting that the governor's decision indicated a lack of concern for the county's development.

This incident is not the first time such disruptions have occurred in the Wajir County Assembly.

Similar turmoil happened in October 2022 when MCAs protested the nomination of House leaders by standing on tables and banging them, while others flung chairs at their colleagues during the Speaker's announcement of assembly positions.

In 2018, another altercation occurred over disagreements on the selection of the County Service Board membership.