Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) yesterday rejected Cabinet Minister Salim Mvurya’s attempts to address them on behalf of President William Ruto.

The MCAs who are attending the County Assembly Forum 5th Legislative Summit at the Edge Convention booed and heckled Mburya when he stood to speak.

Mvurya was forced to cut short his speech and left the forum shortly past noon.

Furious MCAs said it was wrong for the Head of State to deploy the Sport’s CS to represent him saying it amounted to belittling them.

They took issue with Ruto’s failure to attend the key annual event to address issues affecting them. The Summit brings together MCAs from all the47 counties.

Under the theme, “Championing accountability, strengthening oversight for transparent leadership through legislative and policy reforms,” the forum that started last Friday and ends on Thursday provided a platform for the County Assemblies and the devolution stakeholders to re-imagine the future of devolved legislative units within the confines of the mandates of County Assemblies, evolving needs and the expectations of the citizenry at the County level.

Counties challenges

The Summit was also to reflect on the achievements, best practices, lessons learnt, and challenges faced by County Assemblies while proposing practical and responsive solutions that strengthen devolution.

Yesterday, the CAF members said only President Ruto could address them, bringing the session to the end. The participants said they wanted to air their grievances to the President including what Kenyans were undergoing in their wards.

Garissa Deputy Speaker Mustaf Abdirashid Ahmed told People Daily that they had expected President Ruto to attend the crucial event. “CS Mvurya and Devolution PS came but we wanted the President himself to come and address the issues the counties are facing,” Ahmed said.

He went on: “The MCAs wanted the issue of their pensions addressed.”

Security issues

The ward representatives also wanted President Ruto to talk about security of MCAs adding that many have died due to lack of State protection. They vouched for introduction of Ward Development Fund to boost growth.

 The secretary General of the Association of the Members of County Assemblies and also member for Naivasha ward Stanley Karanja regretted that the government had withdrawn bursaries for needy students and that they wanted Ruto to intervene. He said only the Head of State could respond to their demands.

The leaders accused the Executive and National Assembly of undermining devolution by stifling resources.

The CAF official Stephen Karanja said they would not leave the Summit until the President addresses them.

The MCAs’ biggest complaints included insufficient funding for counties, delays in receiving funds, and excessive control from the national government.

The MCAs emphasised that counties play a crucial role in devolution and should not be ignored.

This comes months after MCAs raised concerns that the national government is not providing enough support to county assemblies. They stated that counties need more financial independence and better working conditions.

The County Assembly Forum (CAF) organised the summit to help county leaders work together and build a stronger connection with the national government. Yesterday, President Ruto attended several events including the African Development Bank board function at the State House.