Members of County Assembly (MCAs) across the country have intimated that they will down their tools, paralyse operations at county assemblies, and march to State House on Monday if their demands are not met by then.
Speaking during the inaugural County Assemblies Forum at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the ward representatives listed a flurry of demands relating to the financial struggles they encountered while carrying out their mandate.
"If these demands are not met. If it doesn't work today. From Monday next week, we have to paralyse all assemblies," Makueni MCA Kalunda Wa Kalunda affirmed.
One by one, a series of MCAs laid out their grievances, noting that although they held the crucial responsibility of overseeing Governors, their salaries and county assembly funding did not reflect that.
They also stated that the dire situation has turned them into beggars from other leaders, as there is no specified development kitty assigned specifically to them.
Naivasha East MCA Stanley Karanja raised the issue of disparity in the remuneration of county officials, stating, "MCAs are told to oversight a Governor who is earning a million and you are paying them Ksh86,000."
They also accused Governors and Senators of abandoning them in the push for key amendments, such as the County Pension Amendment Bill.
"The same MCA has the first touch to the ground and the people," Kwale MCA Hanifa Mwajirani stated. "Senators are not seen, MPs are not seen. They are always in Nairobi."
Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna, who was the chief guest at the event, backed their concerns, noting the crucial role MCAs play compared to other elected leaders, as they are closer to their electorates.
"When a child is sent home for school fees, the first door they knock on is the MCA's. Meanwhile, the other elected leaders are in Nairobi making noise in Parliament," Sifuna stated.
Their planned protest comes ahead of a meeting with the President, slated for next month during the County Assemblies Forum summit.
During their meeting, tempers also flared when Kakamega and Nairobi MCAs clashed and had to be held back by Senator Sifuna after they accused the Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Peter Imwatok of not giving them a chance to express their views.
