MCAs want personal drivers

By KATHURE MUKURU

MERU: Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in Meru County are seeking to be allocated chauffeurs to avoid road accidents which killed a colleague and injured two others recently.

Meru Assembly Speaker Joseph Kaberia and the leader of the majority Ayub Bundi led a group of MCAs in demanding that they be accorded the drivers since they "are always busy on phones even while driving."

The two spoke at Maua stadium during the funeral service for area MCA Abednego Mutembei Mitini who perished following a road accident last week.

Mitini alias Castaree died at the Kirua Mission Hospital shortly after he was rushed there by well-wishers after his vehicle crashed after losing control at the Subuiga black spot on the Meru-Nanyuki highway.

His colleagues claimed in the burial that many of the accidents involving them could be avoided if they had personal drivers paid by taxpayers.

Meru County Assembly Speaker said the drivers could give the leaders ample time to rest and concentrate on their work.

The speaker Joseph Kaberia said most of the MCAs possessed two active phone lines which were always engaged by constituents seeking services.

"The government does not recognize the work of a MCA. If they want to know the kind of work we do let them go to any mobile provider and find out the number of calls we make per day," said Majority Leader Bundi.

Bundi said MCAs in Meru so far have been involved in three avoidable road accidents.

He said the MCAs would also appreciate public funded bodyguards as they were worked long hours in usually unsafe areas.

Senator Kiraitu Murungi, Governor Peter Munya, Woman Representative Florence Kajuju, MP's Mithika Linturi, Rahim Daud and Mpuru Aburi were among the thousands who attended the funeral of the MCA.