This archive report was first published on 2 August 2021.
On August 1, 2021, Taita-Taveta Governor Granton Samboja met with members of the assembly (MCAs) at an exclusive hotel in the Tsavo East National Park to seek their support for his 2022 re-election bid.
Over 30 MCAs attended the meeting, where the governor proposed forming a coalition with all MCAs, regardless of party affiliation, to bolster his re-election chances.
However, the MCAs were not easily swayed, and instead, they expressed their concerns about the county's poor performance, slow pace of development, and delayed disbursement of bursaries.
According to Mwatate MCA Abednego Mwanjala, the governor was told that all is not well in the county, and that several projects have stalled.
MCAs also expressed their disappointment with the reduction in bursary allocation from Sh5 million to Sh1.6 million, and asked the governor to enhance the allocation to cater for more bright children from poor families.
Despite the governor's plea for support, promising to financially assist them in their campaigns, the MCAs said they would need time to digest the request and make an informed decision.
