Mwingi West MP, residents urge Kitui Governor to name his Cabinet now

Eagerness and anxiety awaits the unveiling of Kitui County Cabinet by Governor Julius Malombe, some 55 days since he was elected.

The delay or slow in naming the Executive, according to some sources privy to the issue, claims it surrounds definite unverified reports that Dr Malombe may or may not absorb some or all members of the former Executive who served under the former governor Charity Ngilu’s leadership.

As the situation may be, politicians and residents in the region are waiting with bated breath when the governor will name senior members of his government and whether it will be a representative of the entire county that consists of eight constituencies.

Mwingi West MP, Charles Nguna, at the weekend told MWINGI TIMES that Dr Malombe should name his team without further delay and ensure it equitably represents the face of the county.

Nguna said Kitui Central constituency where the governor comes from should be excluded in the cabinet selection as well as Mwingi North where his deputy Augustine Kanani and County Assembly Speaker Kevin Kinengo both come from.

“Kitui Central and Mwingi North already have their share. Mwingi West should be rewarded with at least two CECs slots while balancing all the eight constituencies. Let the governor name the cabinet as soon as possible,” the Wiper legislator said.

Nguna joined many silent voices who looked upon Malombe to fulfill his election pledges by installing a clean and devoted administration, devoid of corruption, nepotism and fault-finding.

The county consists of Kitui Central, Kitui West, Kitui East, Kitui Rural, Kitui South, Mwingi North, Mwingi Central and Mwingi West constituencies with a total population of 1.2 million.

By the time of going to press this morning, MWINGI TIMES had not reached the governor to get his reaction on the appeal.

Seminar

Besides that, the members of the county assembly, the speaker Kevin Kinengo and the clerk, Elijah Mutambuki, were yet to return from a week-long seminar in Coastal region. 

However, in his maiden speech to workers early last month, the governor said he will not lead a government with questionable officers on board, and warned a few corrupt workers that they will face the harsh hand of the law and subsequently be forced to leave. 

“I want to lead a clean administration and that all county staff must adhere to Chapter Six of the Constitution on Integrity. My government is set to put into place proper measures to tame graft so that it realises its plan for the people,” Malombe said.

The county boss vowed to remain steadfast in serving residents and refuse to be dragged into sideshows aimed at derailing and sabotaging his development agenda.

He said his administration will progressively implement his commitments and deliver development to the residents for improvement of their livelihoods and living standards.

Saying that his government will oversee responsible budgeting to realise sustainable development and ensure equitable development across the county, the governor said it will also administer fairness to the people, guarantee accountability in revenue collection, focus on prompt payment to suppliers and contractors and observe the rule of law with an aim to deliver his 16-point manifesto.

Malombe told the workers drawn from the eight sub counties that he desired to build a responsive, participatory and consensus-oriented governance in writing a new chapter in people’s lives.

“I am committed to undertaking completion of abandoned projects in anticipation of people’s expectations which are high, particularly considering the extent of service delivery which deteriorated over the last five years,” the governor said.

Malombe said nevertheless he had no choice but to fold his sleeves and confront the challenges head on, saying there will be no excuses for failures.

The governor reflected back when he served as the pioneer county chief from 2013 to 2017 saying they achieved a lot and enumerated that every ward and village in the county benefited from various development projects.

“By the time I left office in August 2017, we had implemented a total of 5,294 projects throughout the county. This is an average of 132 projects in each of the 40 wards and an average of 21 projects in each of the 247 villages under a Village Administrator,” he said.

Malombe said there will be certainly need for the reorganisation of the county budget for 2022/2023 financial year to be done through a supplementary budgetary framework that will require the cooperation of both the County Executive and County Assembly.

Speaking during his swearing-in ceremony on August 25, the governor pledged in his 100 days in office to revive the county’s economy and rekindle people’s hope and aspiration by essentially having a county stock taking and mapping exercise.

He said his aim was to facilitate in-depth and clear appreciation of the county financial status including bank balances, human resource status including outstanding staff salaries, inventory of county asset and pending bills and other contractual commitments, outstanding staff salaries, review and ascertainment of the reports of the Assumption of Office of Governors report concerning county assets, bank balances and much more.

Malombe said his administration after being formed will also undertake completion of abandoned projects.

“I will resuscitate the development and transformation’s vision and agenda for the county in seeking to progressively improve residents’ livelihoods and their living standards,” he said.

The governor who bounced back into county leadership after losing the gubernatorial seat to Ngilu in 2017, said he will also seek to lead a county with vibrant rural and urban economies whose people enjoyed high quality of life.

STORY By PAUL MUTUA