The Kericho Members of County Assembly (MCAs) have come under fire from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) after a dispute allegedly broke out on Friday afternoon in the House over majority leadership posts.
The County Assembly’s Majority Leader and Majority Whip positions have been in contention between the MCAs for a long time, and as a result, the leadership positions have already changed three times since the August 2022 election.
The EACC denounced the MCAs’ misbehavior, calling it “an disgrace to the nation” in addition to a violation of Chapter Six of the Constitution’s integrity provisions.
The commission further pledged to launch an investigation, saying that the law of the land compels state officials to act in a way that respects citizens, fosters public trust, and upholds the dignity of the positions they hold.
The conflict allegedly started when County Assembly Speaker Patrick Mutai disobeyed a recent order from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party regarding the Majority Leader and Whip posts.
Four days earlier, UDA designated Philip Rono as the Majority Leader and Peter Kemoi as the Majority Whip in a letter addressed to the Speaker.
But on Friday, Speaker Mutai restored Vincent Korir to his post as Majority Leader of the previous House in compliance with a recently issued court ruling.
However, a group of MCAs opposed the action, led by the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, and charged the Speaker with hatching a scheme to undermine the House.
Another group, this one led by Kapsoit MCA Paul Chirchir Tarimbo, supported the decision, saying it was wise for the Speaker to follow the court’s order.
The altercation started after the MCAs approved a Ksh. 8.5 billion budget.
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