Eric Juma @PeopleDailyKe
The Senate is working on a law that will require Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) to have a minimum qualification of a degree to enhance service delivery in counties.
Kisumu senator Anyang’ Nyong’o said lack of education is partly to blame for infiltration of the Assemblies by corrupt individuals who demand bribes from governors to either spare them impeachment or pass budgets. “We intend to table a Bill in Parliament to raise qualification of MCAs to degree or PhD to ensure that whoever will be elected on the seats in 2022 meets the threshold.
The physical fights being witnessed will be no more as they will engage brains in their arguments,” he said. “Most of the governors have spent millions of shillings bribing the MCAs to defuse tension and allow passage of budgets and finance bills and have created a tea voucher to escape audit query,” he added.
A similar attempt to raise academic qualifications last year through a Bill was vehemently opposed, with the MCAs terming the move witch-hunt aimed at barring them from contesting. Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had last year proposed amendments to the Elections Act to require those vying as MPs to hold a degree from a recognised university and a diploma for the MCAs.
The IEBC was of the opinion that raising minimum academic qualifications for elective offices was important to guarantee quality leadership.
Nyong’o, who is also the Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, claimed a lot of funds that governors could not account for had benefitted the executive and the MCAs.
But Siaya speaker George Okode has claimed that raising Education levels for the MCAs will not wipe out corruption, and the laws should not be made targeting MCAs alone but all legislators including the Senate.
“Siaya MCAs have never received bribe to pass anything in favour or against the executive but have followed the law in carrying out Assembly duties,” he said.
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