Members of Kisumu County Assembly have dismissed claims of misusing public funds amid fury over foreign trips.
The MCAs, who are currently on an educational trip in Uganda, said such tours were in the interest of the residents as they were extensions of the House business.
These sentiments follow an outcry by the public that the representatives had priorities wrong and that their “reckless expenditure was only for their benefits.”
Chairperson of Kisumu Residents Voice Audi Ogada said the uproar was justified and threatened that he would marshal residents to go to court to have the county leaders compelled to account for the “increasing number of needless foreign trips whose fruits residents are yet to see.”
He said the representatives were losing focus on the objectives of devolution and were spending a lot of resources in misdirected priorities.
Ogada accused the assembly of courting impunity and cited the recent continued of House business in disregard of a court order after the speaker and the clerk challenged their ouster and firing respectively.
“They purport to be lawmakers but do not themselves obey the existing laws,” he said.
He went on: “Let the MCAs not think they cannot be held to account for misusing power and public funds; residents will be expecting accountability and if the MCAs fail to explain expenditures, we will use constitutional provisions to demand for redress.”
He was speaking on phone when reached for a comment following an outcry by a number of residents.
According to the residents, the MCAs were on recess until February 10 when sessions resume. They wanted to know the funds behind the trip that saw all members of the assembly troop to Uganda.
They termed the trip and others before it a waste of money and demanded that the funds be recalled upon return of the MCAs who are expected back on December 22.
They accused the leaders of “touring the world” while developmental projects “gathered dust as mere paperwork.”
In defence, majority leader Samuel Ong’ow said the education tour to the neighbouring country was a continuance of House business and that it tagged along all committees to save on time and money.
“Recess does not mean inactivity, only plenary sessions are affected. We still have committee meeting and special assemblies going on and they (residents) will see us in the House because we still have a lot to cover in the current financial year,” he said on phone from Uganda.
Ong’ow added that there were Bills there were pending which would be debated in special sessions.