This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
On November 27, 2019, the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report took place at the Bomas of Kenya, but Nandi County MCAs were noticeably absent. The reason behind their absence was a financial crisis in the county that had left them without the necessary travelling allowances.
According to Assembly Deputy Speaker Wilson Sang, the MCAs had received invitations to attend the launch, which was presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto, and ODM leader Raila Odinga. However, they did not attend due to the financial constraints.
MCAs Osborn Komen and Fred Kemboi, who were among those who did not attend, stated that the county government was allegedly broke and unable to provide them with the necessary travelling allowances. They claimed that the Assembly relied on the county executive for its budget and therefore decided to boycott the BBI launching in Nairobi.
Mr. Kemboi emphasized that all 39 MCAs were invited to attend the BBI meeting, but the county government failed to provide them with the necessary allowances. He stated, "All the 39 MCAs were invited to attend the BBI meeting in Bomas in Nairobi but the county government failed to provide us with travelling allowances and since the Assembly relied on the county executive for its budget we decided to boycott the BBI launching in Nairobi."
Mr. Komen warned that critical services in the county could be grounded due to the financial crisis, stating, "The county government should put its house in order." He also warned that within a week, key services in Nandi County would be grounded.
However, Kapchorwa Ward MCA Justine Chepnyango urged top political leaders to work together and use the BBI to reconcile the country, saying the public should be given enough time to read and debate the document before accepting or rejecting it.
