By Obegi Malack
obegimalack@gmail.com
County Executive Committee (CEC) member for Education, Vocational Training, Youth and Sports, Jeremiah Ncharo, has been impeached by Kajiado County Assembly.
Ncharo has become the first Minister in Governor Joseph Ole Lenku’s government to be shown the door by 21 MCAs who voted in support of the impeachment motion against 20 MCAs who tried their best to save the officer.
CEC Member for Public Service, Administration, Social Services, Citizen Participation and Inspectorate Services Alais Kisota survived the impeachment after a heated debate in the assembly.
The MCAs indicted that the minister was voted out pursuant to Section 4O of the County Governments Act.
The impeachment motion was moved by Mosiro MCA Jonathan Koroine who accused that the CEC of grossly violated the Constitution of Kenya and other relevant laws.
He claimed that the Department of Education failed to use the list of beneficiaries submitted by the Chairperson of the Bursary Committee for Keekonyokie, Rombo, Lodokilani wards contrary to regulation 8 of the Kajiado County Public Finance Management (County Bursary Fund) regulation of 2016.
Additionally, Auditor General in the financial year ending June 30, 2020 indicated that a sum of Ksh 30, 119, 000 and Ksh 53, 285, 920 was disbursed without approval minutes by the Ward Education Bursary Committee contrary to regulation 4 of Kajiado County Public Finance Management.
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He was also accused of Irregular appointment of Ward Education Bursary Committee Members where the Auditor General queried the Appointment of Ward Education Bursary Committee members as their appointment was not supported by their education qualifications, work experience documents and duration of residence in the Ward contrary to Regulation 8 of Kajiado County Public Finance Management (County Bursary) Regulation of 2016.
The MCA also accused the department of lack of equitability in distribution of bursaries. The Auditor – General flagged the Kajiado County Education Bursary Grants and Scholarship Fund for the year ended June 30, 2021, indicating that the disbursement of the bursaries was not supported by Ward Committee minutes.
The Auditor General flagged the disbursement of the 1st and 2nd cycle of Bursary disbursement using a Ward Bursary Committee whose tenure had lapsed contrary to regulation 9 of Kajiado County Public finance management (County Bursary Fund) Regulation of 2016.
The CEC authorized and oversaw the appointment of a new Fund administrator contrary to the law section 116 (2) of the Public Finance Management Act which states that the CEC Member for finance shall designate a person responsible for administering that Fund.
He was also accused of violation of the Constitution on objectivity and impartiality in decision-making and ensuring the decisions are not influenced by nepotism and favoritism especially in awarding or not awarding bursaries, overseeing the enrollment of competency-based curriculum (CBC) grade 6 pupils to Isinya Polytechnic contrary to the Basic Education Act.
Further, authorizing and overseeing the distribution of bursaries by other County Executive members contrary to regulation 8 of Kajiado County Public Finance Management.
“In spite of the dropping out of several students under the scholarship program, the CECM has continued to oversee the disbursement of funds to institutions with respect to the said students who have dropped out of school hence leading to the losses of public funds,” part of the assembly statement read.
The assembly is also targeting a number of CEC members in Governor Lenku’s government who they also claim are in office illegally since they were not vetted.
The governor who is from ODM Party had accused the MCAs of playing politics, asking them to put aside politics. The Kenya kwanza MCAs are the majority in Kajiado.
Kajiado’s Azimio La Umoja MCAs led by minority leader Isaac Kiresian and Minority Chief Whip Simon Saitoti had threatened to impeach Speaker Justus Ngussur for allegedly, consistently contravening Standing Orders by pronouncing UDA party positions and advancing personal interests on the floor of the house.
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