MCA: How our governor narrowly survived planned impeachment
By People Daily, February 3, 2020Our governor is a lucky man. He recently escaped being unseated by a whisker.
Buoyed by the impeachment of another governor, we were determined to do away with ours too.
We had had enough of his less-thantransparent way of conducting county business.
To make matters worse, during the BBI rallies, he had failed to champion our cause to take full control of the ward development fund.
We, therefore, were baying for his blood. We wanted to see him not only lose his job, but also feed on half-cooked beans and ugali in remand prison.
However, matters took a dramatic twist on the day we were supposed pluck him from the seat.
To begin with, we arrived at our county offices to find vindu vishachenja.
On the staff bulletin board was a notice saying, “Due to the need to cut down on expenditure, each staff member, including MCAs, will only be allowed a maximum of four cups of tea.”
Someone, obviously an incensed tea guzzler, had tried to deface the distasteful notice by scribbling ‘PURE NONE CENTS’ across the notice.
The changes became more real inside the chambers. Before we began the day’s proceedings, the Assembly Speaker talked of the need for belt-tightening measures.
He said this was necessitated by the reality that the country was going through tough times economically.
For reasons best known to himself, he was talking in an unusually low voice; he was barely audible.
Perhaps, this was also a cost cutting measure – saving on electricity used in the public address system! After a while, we grew impatient.
We wanted to dispense with the most important issue of the day. Our grumbling was, however nipped in the bud when the Speaker declared that MCAs would all have to forgo some allowances.
“Which? How?” asked MCA Matayo. “Don’t joke with us,” someone else bellowed. The Speaker raised his voice. “But surely, Honourable Members, we all know our county will soon face a cash crunch if we don’t embrace austerity measures.” MCA Chonjo took him head-on.
“Mr Speaker, I wonder why these so-called hostility measures only apply to us. We reject any cut-costing measures that will affect our welfare.”
“And to add salt to injury, we were not involved in the decision to cut off our allowances. It is unfair. Totally unfair!” he thundered. This was followed by an applause.
“Members, we have no choice. We must tighten our belts. Let’s not be unreasonable,” declared the Speaker.
These words ignited the members’ ire. The House quickly degenerated into a den of chaos. Fists waving in the air.
Catcalls from all corners. Then, above all this din, someone screamed, “We will impreach you too!” This call was taken up and the whole House began chanting in unison, “Impeach! Impeach! Impeach!”
The vigour with which some members were dancing to the rhythm of the chant would have earned them awards in a music competition!
The target of the impeachment briefly consulted with the Leader of Majority, MCA Pinto.
He then left the chambers leaving Pinto in charge. This is one member who commands the respect of the whole House probably due to his ability to bring practical suggestions on how to handle thorny issues.
“Colleagues,” he began as soon as calm had returned. “You have spoken out loud and clear, and our Speaker has heard you. He will be back shortly and give us the way forward.
I beg that we listen to him without interruption.” Hardly had he finished speaking when the Speaker re-emerged. There was pin-drop silence in the House.
“Dear Friends, in the spirit of consultation and wide participation in decision making, I have talked with the governor and we have decided to shelve the cost-cutting measures. Instead, we will double the allowances,” he said.
The applause that followed this pronouncement almost blew off the roof. MCA Colleta led us in chanting ‘Gavana, tano tena!’
The Speaker then adjourned the proceedings and we walked out of the chambers full of praise for His Popularity the Governor of our County. Nani kama yeye!
– a.otieno@pu.ac.ke