Location of Taita Taveta County headquarters causes ripples

 

The gazetting of Wundanyi as the county headquarters two months ago has continued to cause ripples.

Some leaders said the new development came to light after the headquarters was gazetted, a move that has led into a blame game among local leaders.

Before the gazetting, the county administration had spent more than Sh7.7 million on a fence around the Mgeno site in Mwatate sub-county where the headquarters has been.

The funds had been used to construct a barbed wire fence with concrete poles on the 20-acre disputed plot including two guard houses.

In the 2016/17 budget, the county government allocated over Sh60 million for the project.

Governor John Mruttu said he was shocked by the turn of events and accused some politicians of conspiring to change the location of the county headquarters to suit their interest.

The governor has directed the county's Legal Department to find out what process was used to change the headquarters from where it had been assumed earlier.

Mr Mrutu said his administration will explore all possible ways to ensure that the gazette notice is reversed.

"Some leaders ought to have conspired to change the county headquarters because residents had identified Mgeno as the ideal location and not Wundanyi," said the governor.

A lot of criticism has been directed to Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu who had been accused of being behind the conspiracy.

The MP has, however, denied the claims and said the bill to gazette the county headquarters originated from the Senate and not in the National Assembly.

"The issue came to light when the President signed into law the Bill early this month," said the National assembly Minority Whip.

In an interview Wednesday, the MP said some of his political rivals had accused him of being behind the move to change the headquarters.

"The bill originated from the Senate and not from the National Assembly. Why am I being accused of mistakes that I have never committed. I do not have the powers to bulldoze the Senate to change issues," he noted.