Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi has hit out at the national government for sabotaging devolution. While addressing Members of the Vihiga County Assembly, Mudavadi warned that the Jubilee administration has only acted to sabotage devolution despite many Kenyans supporting the new structures of leadership and administration.
Mudavadi said the government has refused apportioning assets meant for devolved units saying it’s a way of burdening the county governments with unmanageable wage bill and debts.
He hit out at the Jubilee government for the recent scam on roads classification that has been introduced recently, noting that the reclassification of county roads into national roads by changing names is questionable. “The latest change of Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) to Kenya National Urban Roads Authority (KNURA) is questionable and I, therefore, ask MPs not be baited into believing (KNURA) is meant to benefit they want to be complicit in corruption,” warned Mudavadi.
He took issue with the County Executives saying they wear the image of the oligarchy bent on grabbing every coin from county coffers adding that they are eager to spend money and savings from flimsy projects where change can be pocketed. “Transient short-term projects such as those involving roads seem extremely popular for rent-seeking in county governments,” he said. The presidential hopeful added that despite the national government derailing devolution, Kenyans still support the idea of devolution.
On the oversight role, he said according to the Auditor General Report, it condemns MCAs for absconding their mandate in favour of abetting the looting of public resources. “We are told that all MCAs care for is passing budgets, and how much is allocated for their enjoyment or just to strike deals to become suppliers of services in their own wards”, Mudavadi said.
Meanwhile, Mudavadi said his ambition in the race for state house is moved by a promise by his party to ensure devolution is a success.He said he has a policy on education reconstruction based on three policies that will ensure free and mandatory basic education from the Early Childhood Development level to the secondary level.