Kidero team to blame for Nairobi MCAs go-slow

The Nairobi County Assembly has been in a state of paralysis, crippled mainly by a standoff between the Members of County Assembly (MCAs) and Governor Evans Kidero’s Executive.

The assembly has passed only three Bills in the past 14 months, raising concerns about the value taxpayers are getting for the Sh1 billion that the county government has spent on the MCAs during the period.

READ: Idle Nairobi MCAs spend billion, pass two Bills in 14 months

The poor legislative record has seen the assembly fail to pass key Bills, including one intended to regulate use of plastic bags, garbage collection and improve land rates collection.

The Business Daily spoke to Assembly Speaker Alex ole Magelo on the current stalemate, and how it has affected the running of Kenya’s capital city.

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The County Assembly has been having quorum hitches in the past few months. What is behind the members’ failure to attend the sessions?

The issue of quorum is worrying us, so much so that we intend to take some steps to see how we can bring order.

What I ask members “what is your problem?” They say, “there is nothing happening in our wards.” So I tell them, "what does that have to do with the business of the assembly?"

I specifically told them that it is unfair that by start of the business of the day, there are 35 or 40 members, and we cannot proceed until there are 43 members or so.

Perhaps the issue of more concern is that there is quorum to start the session but 30-40 minutes later. So, many members have walked out leaving the House with no quorum?

We have had a meeting as the leadership of the assembly to find out what is happening.

One of the reasons some members have put forward is that the motions and Bills that they pass are not implemented by the Executive.

The point is that members say that there is no development in their wards. But we are going to go deeper and find out what is happening.

We have been having problems with the Executive. This is even in regard to statements requested by members. The members ask for statements day in, day out. Some statements take up to a year to get a response.

Members want to know what is happening. What happened to their responses? And then, most of the responses that come are not satisfactory.

You mentioned that you’ll be taking some steps on the issue of quorum?

We will try and take some steps and curb it [quorum hitch] but I also don’t want to punish members. If you are a member representing an area and you have been having a burning issue from your constituents, they expect you to give an answer.

Why has that building been built on a road reserve [for example]? But nobody is answering the questions — the Executive is not answering us. That member is nagged by the electorate. That’s why sometimes we can spend an hour on statements.

And the most sickening thing is the Bills and motions that are passed in the assembly. My members are not happy with the Executive.

But the assembly has slackened very much over the last year, passing about three Bills only?

Bills come but members’ statements eat into the time allocated for discussing them. Again, members ask, what of the other ones we passed?

We were the first county in this country to pass a record 10 to 12 Bills in a very short time. I would call the members from recess to come so that we give the county government tools to work. The tools are Bills and Acts.

Since that period, the first year of the assembly’s life, there has been a slow down. The assembly passed these many Bills in the first year. What has happened? Look at the Ward Development Fund. We allocated funds since fiscal year 2013/14. Nothing seems to be moving. Up to now we have a lot of hullaballoo because the fund has no money.