Bomet MCAs on Thursday engaged in an acrimonious debate on a motion seeking to compel Governor Isaac Rutto to appear before the Senates Public Accounts Committee on audit querries. One faction supported the motion while the other opposed it. The motion urges Rutto to put public interest first and honour the summonses by the Senate to shed light on alleged embezzlement of funds and failure to adhere to the financial regulations. Most MCAs said it would be noble of Rutto to swallow his pride and appear before the Senate. Kembu ward representative Julius Korir, the mover of the motion, said Article 73(2) of the constitution is clear on principles of leadership and accountability, which all leaders must abide with. Korir said Article 96 of the constitution gives Senate the authority to represent the interests of the counties and summon any person, but Ruto has refused to honour it. “Mr Speaker, we are aware that Senate passed a motion directing the Controller of Budget to withhold allocation to the county until the governor appears before it. We are concerned that his failure to honour the summonses will paralyse county operations and hurt the image of Bomet. This house urges Rutto to immediately honour the summonses so that funds can be released,” said Korir Boito ward MCA Robert Bett was kicked out of the chambers in what Speaker Geoffrey Kipngetich termed misconduct and a disgrace to the house for shouting down supporters of the motion. Korir tabled documents from the Senate requesting Rutto to appear before it in a bid to convince MCAs to support the motion. He said: “Ruto is aware of the hitch and error in his undertakings with regard to handling of public resources. That is why he keeps on ignoring the summonses even after several invitations, Korir said. Siongiroi ward MCA Leonard Kirui said the Senate is overstepping its mandate by summoning governors because they are not the accounting officers. He said withholding county funds is in bad faith and aims to suppress the counties. Kirui said the Senate should deal with the governor personally by taking him to court. MCAs John Ngetich (Kipsonoi), Bernard Ngeno (Kapletundo) and John Malel (Rongena) supported the motion. The motion was however defeated through majority rule.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 11:02:05 +0000
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