Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s executive order asking the county government to offer MCAs car loans and mortgages without necessary security is, to say the least, ill-advised and ought to be challenged.
First, the governor appears to be arrogating himself budget-making powers that he does not have. For a county that struggles with its finances, this move is likely to be an unnecessary burden on the county government in case of defaults.
The directive is clearly self-serving and fails to consider the inherent public interest.
It must be clearly stated that offering the MCAs loans without collateral also goes against the advice of the auditor-general.
MCAs have a history of non-accountability, with previous auditor-general’s reports citing misuse of public resources and corruption in their dealings. In fact, there are counties that have struggled to recover money from MCAs, some of who have since left without clearing their debts.
Being as it is without regard to management of the county’s resources, the executive order is a slippery path that the governor is taking.
Were other counties to follow suit, there is no telling how much taxpayers’ money may end up getting lost in satiating the greed of the county representatives. In all, the governor should reconsider the executive order.
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