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| Kitui governor Ngilus's County Secretary appointee Mr Joshua Chepchieng |
BY ANDREW MUTEMI
A new storm is brewing in Kitui between Governor
Charity Ngilu and the MCAs even before the dust settles over other contentious
issues that are pending between the two arms of the county government.
This is after the County Majority Leader Peter
Kilonzo on Thursday rejected governor Ngilu’s choice for County Secretary after
the governor appointed the officer without seeking a nod from the Assembly.
Mrs Ngilu,reports emerged Wednesday evening that she had
appointed Joshua Chepchieng to replace the long serving acting County Secretary
Mr Alex Kimanzi. Mr Chepchieng who comes from Rift Valley region is a long
serving administrator who was one time a District Commissioner for Kitui Central
when Mrs Ngilu was the area MP.
Addressing the press in his office within the precincts
of the County Assembly Mr Kilonzo popularly known as Tangawizi said the
appointment of the County Secretary required approval by the House. “Mr Chepchieng was not subjected to a
competitive recruitment process and neither was he vetted by the County
Assembly,” he charged.
The Athi Ward Rep said the officer’s appointment
into the county’s top office was unprocedural and in contravention to the provisions
of section 44 of the County Government Act, 2012 which stipulates the procedure
for the appointment of the County Secretary.
The vocal MCA termed the appointment of the officer
who has been reported to have assumed his roles at the county headquarters as
an act of selfishness and perpetuation of corruption.
“This is an exercise in futility and the appointment
remains null and void unlawful and therefore criminal, unfair and mockery of
the people of Kitui”, Tangawizi said.
Mr Kilonzo added that owing to the manner in which Mr
Chepchieng was picked for the job, he was unfit to hold a public office and
ought to realize the grave criminal act he had committed and vacate the office.
But in a quick response Minority Leader Alex Nganga through a statement said the governor was yet to send an official
communication to Speaker George Ndotto over the appointment. “I don’t know what
the Majority Leader is talking about as there is no official communication yet
from the governor to the County Assembly on this appointment. When it comes am
sure his (Kilonzo’s) concerns will be addressed,” the statement read in part.
Mr Nganga who is also the Miambani MCA termed Mr Chepchieng
as “an experienced administrator and a man any county would appreciate his
service.”
Mrs Ngilu and the MCAs have in the past few months
been in a rift with the latter accusing the former over alleged mismanagement of county
funds appropriated for development in the last financial year. There is also a standoff over the County
Appropriations Bill, 2019 after the Assembly failed to allocate funds to Ngilu’s
two key flagship projects of the textile centre (KICOTEC) and the ballast
crusher citing lack of operational legal framework for the two entities. Early this week the governor was quoted saying
she would serve her people “with or
without the MCAs”.
MWINGI TIMES for timely and authoritative news.
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