7,000 Mwala students get bursaries,MP hits at Wavinya

By Alexander Kieti

Mwala MP Eng. Vincent Musyoka Kawaya has led distributed bursaries for over 7000 university and college students in Mwala Constituency at Makutano DEB Primary School.

In this year's exercise 7123 students from across the 6 wards of Mwala Subcounty are set to benefit from bursaries worth Kes.48 million from the Constituency NG-CDF fund after applying through the constituency's online platform designed by the MP.

The legislator, speaking at the event, faulted the county government of Machakos under Governor Wavinya Ndeti for continuously giving little amount to few needy students as bursary even though the county receives a greater allocation of funds from the national government compared to Constituencies that receive lower amount yet MPs give more money and to more students.

Mbiuni-Kathama ward MCA Peter Kilonzo PK backed the MP stating that the county government has been giving 800,000 per ward which adds up to 2.4 million for Mwala Constituency alone. 

 Kilonzo added that it has been difficult for MCAs across Machakos County to reach the needs of wananchi in the grassroots with such little budget allocation from the county government crippling the efforts to support education.

Besides education, Eng. Kawaya also raised a concern for the increased suicide cases which are higher among the youth particularly the male gender with Mwala recording more than 20 suicide cases in the last quarter of 2023 a lone for different reasons with the cost of living and family feuds as the major causes.

He called upon the youth to take personal initiative and protect their dignities by avoiding stress factors including drugs and seeking assistance when pressed instead of taking their lives.

Further, on the cost of living Kawaya argued that the national government is working tirelessly to harmonize the biting economy to ease the spiking cost of living. He defended the government measures including taxation saying it seeks to reduce national borrowing with the external date hitting a record 11 trillion.

According to Kawaya the current measures will come with many benefits which will fruit with time as it is no haste in relaxing the current economy status asking Mwala residents and Kenyans to be patient with the government.

Ever eaten donkey meat?

By Daniel Kituku. 

Police in Makueni have arrested 10 suspects in connection of slaughter and sale of donkey meat  .

Confirming the incident Makueni Sub County police Commader Winfred  Siele said the suspects admitted trading in Donkey Meat at Shauri  Moyo Market Nairobi. 

 Siele told the press that the incident was reported by Ms Jane Ndawa ,  the Assistant Chief for Kambi Mawe that within the homestead of one Makau Kimolo alias Jones Katiku  within KwaKathoka village  slaughtering of suspected stolen donkeys  was going on and 2  vehicles  were waiting to collect the meat.

Officers stationed at  Kwa Kathoka Police Post  laid an ambush at a feeder road and intercepted two motor vehicles Reg.No. KDB 991U make Toyota Fielder and KCK 434 M make Toyota Wish and inside the vehicles was discovered  suspected donkey meat .

The suspects admitted that they had slaughtered 15 donkeys 

Police visited the scene where the suspects slaughtered the Donkeys  necessary police action  taken and  established that hooves and heads of the donkeys were buried at the said compound.

The suspects and the exhibits were later escorted to Makueni Police Station as investigations begun .

With the admission that the suspects have been slaughtering donkeys, it is difficult for anyone who buys meat between Makueni and Nairobi  to confidently state that they have not fed on donkey meat.

Or can they?

Machakos misses World Bank's Kes 2b

Machakos County has missed out on Kes 2b from the World Bank fund for improvement of its Municipalities. 

Governor Wavinya Ndeti 

Machakos County has  missed out funds for two years running- first being 2022, the last year under former Governor Alfred Mutua and second in 2023, being the first year under current Governor Wavinya Ndeti.

At the centre of the funding fiasco is Kes 89m that the Machakos Municipalities Board earmarked for a road in Machakos Municipality that the two leaders seem to have vested interest. 

The road runs from Kimutwa Workshop and rips behind Lauh Hotel,Women Finance Trust, KFA and links to the road facing Equity Bank.

Our sources say Mutua wanted the funds used for construction of an air strip at the still born New Machakos City but the Board chaired by Mr Malcom Kateta resisted and Mutua ran out of time. 

The board, sources say, is fighting for autonomy to be able to run its programmes without interference from central or the County government. 

Matters have not improved after the arrival of Governor Ndeti at the Machakos White House. Since May when bids were floated for construction of the road by use of cabro, the tender has not been awarded. 

Tired of this administrative dithering,  the World Bank has given an altimatum to recall the Kes 89m and pull out of funding the needy Municipalities of Machakos County. 

WB donates Kes 1b annually to Machakos County under the Kenya Urban Transport Improvement Programme(KUTIP) to be shared between Machakos,Mavoko and Tala / Kangundo urban areas.

The programme targets improvement of Urban roads to bitumen standards to make the Municipalities dust free and boost standards of living.

Sources tell The Anchor that the current stalemate is as a result of cartels that are opposed to the contractor who won the tender.

" Since May, the winner has not been announced and we suspect that a tooth an nail fight is being conducted so that those allied to the current administration are awarded the works", the source added.

This development exposes an administration that failed to deploy a single shilling to development in the last quarter as citizens wait in dire need.

Wavinya's Chief Officer quits

Governor Wavinya Ndeti's Sewerage,Sanitation and Waste Management Chief Officer Mr Paul Wambua has quit his job.

Wambua send a two paragraph letter headed " Notice of Resignation as the County Chief Officer"(sic) to Governor Ndeti to herald his departure. 

The letter, dated December 18

2023, stated he was leaving due to personal reasons- the euphemism used by officials overwhelmed by work conditions and circumstances.

The letter gave a 30- day notice as per Section 45(6) of the County Government Act. He concluded be assuring governor Wavinya of his support 'wherever I will be' and thanked her for the opportunity to serve for almost one year.

He leaves as the wavinya administration battles allegations of massive corruption over works on 80 dams that activists claim were underlined by nepotism, cronyism, corruption and unaccountable procurement processes.

Chief Officer ousted

Kitheka is Suspended

By Brian Malasi

Simeon Kioko Kitheka,the Trade Chief Officer in Governor Wavinya Ndeti has been suspended. 

A letter written to him by County Secretary and Head of Public Service Dr. Muia Ndambuki said Kitheka is suspended indefinitely.

He is not authorised to act for the County Government of Machakos, the letter added.

He is the second Chief Officer to leave office in as many months after the exit of his Investments counterpart Peter Mutwiwa who  used fake University of Nairobi papers to get his job.

Mr Kitheka, an ex- school principal and immediate former chairman of Universal Traders Sacco was also given  24 hours to cause the surrender of his official car keys. It was not clear how he ended up keeping the keys.

No reasons were given for the suspension. The letter of suspension appears to be a follow-up of a memo from Kitheka's boss, the County Minister for Trade Ms Mutua, dated May 19,2023.

Though the contents of the minister's memo remain unclear, a video has emerged from an incident in Kitale where protesters were condemning Kitheka for tempering with Chamber elections in Kitale.

More to follow .

Why Climate Justice is a moral imperative

 A CSO's review of Kenya’s 
amended Climate Change Act

By Mercy John

In May 2016, former President Uhuru Kenyatta introduced the Climate Change Act, the first of its kind in Africa. It was designed not only to establish mechanisms and strategies for achieving low-carbon climate development, but also to mainstream climate change as a central agenda in the development process. The legislation was enacted as a response to a need for a regulatory framework that could address climate change more effectively, especially in the face of challenges, such as a severe drought affecting approximately two million Kenyans at the time.

Verbatim report: Part 2

Verbatim:How  MCAs tried,
convicted County clerk

Committee observations

The Committee observed that the Hansard report dated 23rd May, 2023 presenting the tabling and approval of the Machakos County Supplementary Appropriation Bill (No 2), 2023 shows that amendments done and approved by this Honorable House in schedule R004 of the Machakos County Supplementary Appropriation bill, 2023 were altered in the final published Machakos County Supplementary Appropriation Act, 2023 where the amendments that had been proposed in the House were not captured.

A verbatim report on how Clerk was removed- Part 1

A blow by blow account of  how
 Clerk was  tried and convicted

Assembly votes to remove Clerk

By Anchor Reporter

The  Machakos County Assembly clerk Joseph Mutisya Laban has been send home summarily. 

This came as 41 Members of the County Assembly voted  to dismiss him for claims of gross misconduct, incompetence, altering assembly legislation,  abuse of office among a plethora of other charges.

Speaker Anne Kiusya on the chair

Mutisya snubbed summons to defend himself after he was summoned to do so after expiry of the 14 days he was given to reply to his suspension letter.

However, the assembly committee probing the clerk went ahead and held hearings, called witnesses and convicted the disgraced assembly administrator on all charges.

 So when the entire assembly sat and the Speaker Anne Kiusya called on Majority Leader to table case papers, Mutisya's goose was already cooked.

After a much heated  debate, the motion was put to vote where 41 members voted to oust the clerk. 10 MCAs voted  to save him while ,6 members abstained.Only  2 MCAs were absent.

Mutisya's fate now lies with the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi where he ran to seek refuge after he failed to face his accusers in the assembly. 

The court made orders to halt his ouster even after his replacement had been gazetted.

It is a matter that  will be placed before Justice Nduma Nderi  on December 8 for further directions.