[VIDEO] Chaos Erupts In County Assembly Chambers As MCAs Clash
On Tuesday, July 30, members of the Wajir County Assembly disrupted proceedings by rejecting the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2024/25.
According to videos obtained by AfricasNow, the incident began when the mace was brought into the House to begin proceedings.
Two male MCAs were seen jumping off tables and attacking orderlies in an attempt to grab the mace.
This caused a commotion and a struggle between the MCAs and the orderlies. As the mace was taken outside the assembly, some MCAs began to fight.
As the MCAs continued to run outside with the mace, those who supported the budget were left arguing and engaging the rest in a screaming competition.
Chaos in Wajir County Assembly as MCAs physically wrestle Serjeants-at-Arms in an attempt to grab the mace.
— Cyprian, Is Nyakundi (@C_NyaKundiH) July 30, 2024
The move comes after funds were allocated for the county First Lady's office and residences for the governor, deputy governor and speaker.
MCAs allege the governor is… pic.twitter.com/e5veNPXRN9
Another group of MCAs inside the assembly was shown flipping tables, throwing documents into the air, and chanting in their native language.
According to some MCAs, the budget should reflect the needs of the Wajir community. The politicians claimed that there were many misplaced priorities.
According to the MCAs’ official statement, the County Government failed to decentralize some key services that impacted the majority of residents.
Furthermore, politicians accused the government of failing to provide all citizens with the services promised during the campaign.
“The 2010 Constitution is clear that the sovereign power belongs to the people, since being elected in 2022 the county assembly approved close to Ksh24 billion budget for two financial years,” read the statement in parts.
“Not more than Ksh600 million went to the grassroots, Ksh23.4 billion was misappropriated within Wajir Town.”
The MCAs also explained why they rejected the budget, citing a lack of proper public participation and the failure to incorporate public feedback.
Furthermore, this group of MCAs claimed that in some areas, officials overseeing public participation were chased away. They argued that this bred inequality.
They also claimed that the budget was illegal because the fiscal strategy paper was never submitted to the sectoral committees, as required by the standing orders.
[VIDEO] Chaos Erupts In County Assembly Chambers As MCAs Clash
