New bill seeks to give MCAs more powers on projects

Members of the county assembly will become patrons of project management committees (PMC) in their wards if a proposed legislation sails through.

The Siaya County Projects Management Bill, 2019 seeks to grant the ward representatives powers to check the minutes of all PMC meetings and any records kept by the ward administrators.

West Asembo MCA Ambrose Akuno, who has sponsored the Bill, said the legislation would respect the separation of powers between the national and county governments.

“This Bill seeks to provide for legal and systematic structures for proper and appropriate management of all county government development projects within the project management committees,” said Mr Akuno.

He said the Bill also seeks to properly embed the concept of PMCs in law by giving effect to articles 176 (2) and 185 of the Constitution, and section 91 and 115 (2) of the County Governments Act 2012 on the committees’ establishment and operationalisation.

The Bill, which is scheduled for public debate, proposes that every project management committee shall comprise between five and nine members.

It also proposes that the county executive committee member responsible for project management can strip any PMC member of their membership on the recommendations of the PMC patron.

This proposed legislation comes barely two months after a report by the county assembly committee revealed how ward administrators paid millions of shillings to ghost project management committee members.