A decision by Nyamira Governor John Nyagarama to cancel all road tenders and subsequently divert cash meant for rehabilitation of roads to state owned, Mechanical Trust Fund, has been termed primitive by an activist.
Nyaragama on Wednesday cancelled all tenders, accusing MCAs of hijacking the tendering process by fronting their companies at the expense of the public, a move which was also lauded by county assembly Speaker Joash Nyamoko.
Activist John Kebaso has threatened to move to court to overturn the governor’s directive saying it was an infringement on the principles of devolution.
“I am really shocked that the Governor can misuse his powers by cancelling tenders and awarding them to the national government. This means that he doesn’t understand devolution and he should cede power to a competent person,” he said.
“I will move to court to seek the interpretation of his order because some of the roads have been devolved. He should have considered genuine applicants who were shortchanged by the greedy MCAs,” he added.
Nyagarama, however, defended the move saying it was worth to allow expeditious development at the local area.
“We can’t divert all our energies towards fighting a small matter yet we have a safer way. Let the MTF do the roads till order is restored. For now let’s work for the people,” he said.