Nairobi ODM MCAs come to blows in Mombasa over PAC committee’s leadership

Wrangles over leadership positions pitting ODM MCAs at the Nairobi count assembly have escalated.

A Nairobi MCA said he was assaulted by a colleague during a Public Accounts committtee meeting in Mombasa on Saturday.

Karen Ward MCA David Mberia told members of the press that he was attacked by Public Accounts chairman Wilfred Odalo.

“I arrived for the meeting and greeted the PAC chairman only for him to rain blows on me. He broke my nose and I bled profusely as other MCAs watched,” said Mberia.

Trouble between the two members of the watchdog committee began after Mberia took to Facebook last week to post that ODM party leader Raila Odinga had instructed ODM Nairobi chairman George Aladwa and the county assembly leadership to appoint Mberia PAC chair.

He even posted a picture of him and Raila. Mberia said this was why he was attacked by Odalo.

Sought for comment, Odalo confessed that there was a small scuffle between the members, saying that Mberia had caused dissonance during the committee session.

He castigated the Karen MCA for what he termed as ‘gross misconduct’, saying his actions could not be taken lightly.

This comes barely a month after ODM leader Raila Odinga stopped the removal of two party members from their leadership positions in the county assembly

There was a plot to replace Minority Leader Elias Okumu and Minority Whip Peter Imwatok with Highrise MCA Kennedy Oyugi and Lower Savanna MCA Nicholas Okumu respectively.

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna stated that the party had resolved to maintain the status quo with the regards to the leadership at the assembly.

Mr Sifuna said Raila had requested that the committee membership be harmonised in the next one week to ensure equity.

One MCA who requested anonymity told The Standard that ODM Nairobi chairman George Aladwa had been directed to ensure that Mr Okumu and Mr Imwatok drafted a fresh list of party members to ensure equity in committees’ allocation.

“Currently, Okumu is the largest beneficiary from committees having a total of seven while other members only have one committee. The party leadership directed that by next week each ODM member should belong to at least three committees,” said the source.

The MCA further said that after the new list is drafted, it would be sent to Mr Aladwa who would share it with Raila for ratification.