Senate and Council of Governors hold talks to end stalemate

Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo addresses the media on a past event. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The Senate Minority Leader, Stewart Madzayo, has revealed that the House leadership and the Council of Governors (CoG) are holding talks to address complaints raised by the county boss. 

Madzayo, who is also the Kilifi Senator, said the stalemate between the CoG and the Senator has affected the disbursement of funds to counties, adding that there is a need to hold talks. 

Speaking in Kilifi town, the senator added that allegations linking senators to corruption in the counties were unfounded and urged those behind the allegations to table evidence with the Senate and the investigation agencies. 

“We had said that if governors fail to appear before the Senate to account for monies sent to them, then, as the Senate, we will block funds from being released from the national treasury, but that route will ruin devolution. That is why we have started talks so that we can resolve the impasse,” he said. 

"There are politicians here in Kilifi accusing me of not safeguarding the funds sent to the county and that I am colluding with Governor Gideon Mung’aro to engage in corruption activities. I want to challenge them to produce evidence of such activities because it amounts to serious allegations,” he added.

Madzayo defended Mung’aro for prudent spending of taxpayers’ money, saying that development projects done during his tenure can be felt and touched. 

“Whenever we summon Mung’aro to the senate, he appears without fail, and I sit in the investment committee, and I can attest that the governor has never missed even a single summons," he said. 

He added that he will always be loyal to his political party and his governor, and also perform his oversight duties diligently. 

Mung'aro, on his part, said that he inherited a ballooned pending bill of more than Sh3.7 billion and that most of them originated from fake bills. 

“I took over leadership of the county when we had pending bills amounting to Sh3.7 billion, and those alleging that pending bills are growing are among those who supplied air to the county. I can demonstrate the work I have done for the people of Kilifi for the past three years,” he said.