Give our lonely wives allowances, say MCAs

Embu County Assembly speaker Justus Mate reads notices at the start of a session on April 29, 2014. A member of the Embu County Assembly caused a stir on Wednesday when he petitioned the Senate to introduce monthly stipends for the spouses of MCAs. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• Deputy President William Ruto earlier this week promised the ward reps that they will each get an office and be allowed to hire staff as the government stepped up its efforts to woo the county assembly members.
• “The welfare of MCAs must be looked into if devolution is to succeed. Give our spouses some allowances as compensation for all the time their husbands are away. They spend a lot of time lonely,” he added.

By CHARLES WANYORO
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By OTIATO GUGUYU
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ives of members of county assemblies should be given allowances, the leaders have proposed.

A member of the Embu County Assembly caused a stir on Wednesday when he petitioned the Senate to introduce monthly stipends for the spouses of MCAs.

Runyenjes Central ward Rep Steve “Simba” Munene said their spouses spend a lot of time lonely because MCAs were busy conducting county business and thus deserve some reward.

He supported his colleagues who also called for the scrapping of a car loan and mortgage they received early this year now that they have been promised grants by governors.

“The welfare of MCAs must be looked into if devolution is to succeed. Give our spouses some allowances as compensation for all the time their husbands are away. They spend a lot of time lonely,” he added.

WOOING GAME
Mr Munene, who spoke as the House discussed a speech read by Embu Senator Lenny Kivuti last week, accused the Senate of undermining the role of ward representatives in devolution .

“What we earn is not commensurate with our jobs which form the core of devolution,” Mr Munene said.

“The National Assembly, Senate and the Council of Governors are all courting MCAs for their support on the issue of referendum and promising all manner of goodies.

We shall capitalise on this to have our way.

“We have been promised car grants, mortgages and even bodyguards. Why have they taken this long to realise our security is important?” he added
Mr Munene also hit out at Senators for what he termed as reluctance to execute their mandate.

“I will support a referendum if it includes a question on the abolition of the Senate because senators have failed. The Senate should be scrapped altogether to save taxpayers money,” he said.

The government, the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (Cord) and the Governors Council are all wooing MCAs’ as they push for a referendum.
The MCAs are critical in the referendum as the Bill containing proposed changes must be passed by at least 24 or the 47 counties to become law.

On Friday, the 2,200 MCAs met at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi where they formed a 15-man technical committee to look into the referendum issue before they can take a stand on whether to support the vote push.

Deputy President William Ruto earlier this week promised the ward reps that they will each get an office and be allowed to hire staff as the government stepped up its efforts to woo the county assembly members.

ROLES ENSHRINED IN THE LAW

Wives of governors also want the office of the First Lady in counties recognised in law.

Twenty-five county first ladies Thursday said they will push for a law to upgrade their offices. They were hosted by Mrs Susan Mboya Kidero, wife of Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero.

The chairperson of County First Ladies Association Esther Ruto said recognition of their office within counties will help them make an impact.

Mrs Ruto, who is the wife of Bomet County Governor Isaac Ruto, added that even though their roles were not spelt out in the Constitution, they have initiated projects in many regions.

The Governors’ spouses met in a Nairobi hotel on Thursday.

Some of the programmes spearheaded by counties first ladies include a medishare programme in Nyeri, support of children homes in Kisii, sanitation programmes in Makueni, Gender Based Violence intervention in Narok, Breast and Cervical Cancer Clinics in Machakos as well as partnering with First Lady Margaret Kenyatta in her ‘Beyond Zero’ campaign on maternal health.

They are also seeking to fast track registration of their association. “But having a big office is not our driving force, because with or without the offices, we will still work to improve the welfare of our people,” Mrs Kidero reiterated.

She pointed out that some of the first ladies were serving their constituents despite having a full-time job.

“We have come together because we realised that we have common goals and interests. We need to unite beyond party affiliations, tribe and religion to find solutions for our people,” Mrs Kidero said.

Coca Cola Public affairs manager Bob Okello urged first ladies to fight for the girl-child. He noted that no woman from Turkana had applied for funds to set up business in a deal the firm has with the Devolution ministry.