The West Pokot County Assembly has resumed its sittings amid a leadership standoff among KANU members. An eleven member sitting was witnessed, including 6 KANU MCAs, in accordance with the Health Ministry Covid-19 directives.
The assembly was adjourned after the house lacked the quorum to conduct the house business, last week on 11th June,2020 after KANU members boycotted the sitting demanding all 33 members to be allowed in the house. This is after the assembly had been closed for one month following wrangles and chaos in the assembly.
This comes barely few days after the County KANU leadership ousted the County assembly majority leader Thomas Ng’olesya, said to be replaced by Weiwei ward representative Mr. David Kapelisiwa and Chief whip Maddy Polokou said to be replaced by Endough ward representative Evanson Lomadunyi for not supporting the County government agenda.
The wrangles have been escalating as the two sides now engage in a pull and push on who is the majority leader and Chief whip of the house.
The swoops have rekindled divisions among the assembly members as both camps vow not to relinquish the positions.
Speaking to the press outside the assembly building after the session in Kapenguria County Assembly speaker Catherine Mukenyang said that the members met the quorum adding hat the house was able to present two motions one being the Debt management Strategy.
“I was impressed with the turn up of the members. I found the eleven seated and managed to transact the house business. The leader of majority managed to present the two motions and members observed decorum and kept to the standards and expectations of the house,” she said.
The speaker said that she made communication on the issues of the budget and the County Executive Member [CEC] for Finance is supposed to do pronouncement of the budget during a sitting later on Wednesday.
She said that the Budget and appropriation committee will proceed with the budget report and they will handle the budget for the financial year of 2020-2021 on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
Concerning the biasness on selecting members, the speaker said that she has no role to play in the selection, and minority and majority sides made their own resolutions.