In his maiden address to the County Assembly on Tuesday, the governor also asked Speaker Onyango Oloo to establish special capacity development programmes to support minority parties in the assembly.
Prof Nyong’o termed the need to construct a new assembly as vital and urgent.
Residents, however, said the move was not a priority and would divert money, which would have been useful for other urgent projects.
Residents associations in Kisumu County have opposed Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s call for construction of a new assembly.
The lobbies argued the move was not a priority and would divert money, which would have been useful for other urgent projects.
Mr Chris Owalla, the Director of Community Initiative Action Group Kenya, said Kisumu was battling many challenges including lack of drugs, poor sewerage and an ailing health sector.
“[Prof] Nyong’o has started on a bad note. A new assembly is not a priority and it might be a way of rewarding tenderpreneurs,” said Mr Owalla. Kisumu City Residents Vice Chairman Audi Ogada termed the move a good one, but added that it was not a priority at the moment.
He said the governor should concentrate on moving the Kachok dumpsite, restocking medicines, improving drainage system and increasing revenue collection.
“The previous regime never paid attention to service delivery. The Assembly should be a long-term project,” said Mr Ogada. “We need restoration especially in revenue collection and not such a project.”
In his maiden address to the County Assembly on Tuesday, the governor also asked Speaker Onyango Oloo to establish special capacity development programmes to support minority parties in the assembly.
Prof Nyong’o termed the need to construct a new assembly as vital and urgent.
“In particular, a new assembly building modelled to international and national standards is vital and urgent,” said Prof Nyong’o.
His proposal comes barely few months after the old assembly was refurbished and equipped with modern gadgets ahead of the second opening. The floor and walls were carpeted and electronics such as televisions installed.
Painting was completed while partitioning and refurbishment of committee rooms are on-going.
The governor pointed out that the assembly needed better library facilities as well as research and information technology services.
Construction plans for an ultramodern assembly were shelved by the previous House after MCAs blocked a Sh1 billion allocation in the 2016/17 budget and directed the money to other development projects.
The executive indicated, then, that the proposed development of the County Assembly amounting to Sh700 million had been dropped until all approvals are finalised.
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