This archive report was first published on 12 September 2019.
Published on September 12, 2019, a petition to dissolve the Taita-Taveta County Assembly has garnered over 52,000 signatures from residents who are dissatisfied with the county's governance.
Taita-Taveta Governor Granton Samboja has launched a scathing attack against a section of bishops in the county, dismissing them as “mercenaries” after the prelates called for his resignation over his stand to dissolve the county government.
The petition, which has been signed by 52,000 voters, is a response to the county assembly's alleged impropriety, including the allocation of Sh830 million through the ward development fund.
Samboja signed a memorandum to dissolve the devolved unit over a budget impasse with the county assembly, citing the allocation of Sh41.5 million to each MCA for projects in their wards as a major concern.
“There is no medicine in county health facilities. Water is a challenge to many residents yet they want to allocate themselves huge sums of money,” Samboja said while defending the petition.
Samboja's decision to dissolve the county government has been met with opposition from the Taita-Taveta Bishop Association, which has accused him of refusing to engage in negotiations to resolve the budget crisis.
However, Samboja has revealed that some members of the bishops' associations had been secretly calling his aides to plan for a meeting in hope of getting some allowance.
“We have no interest in dealing with mercenaries for hire. We should be discussing how to increase allocation for our hospitals to alleviate the suffering of our people,” Samboja said.
