By PAUL MUTUA
Cracks have emerged in Kitui County Assembly Speaker Kevin Kinengo’s inner circles as two MCAs exchanged vulgar word at each other during a parliamentary plenary committee meeting last week.
Speaker Kinengo (third right) and some county assembly members at the Ikoo valley view point at Kaluu area in Migwani ward, Mwingi West, Kitui last November during inaugural Bunge Mashinani. MWINGI TIMES|Paul Mutua
In what appeared to be a simmering internal disagreement boiling out in public, the altercation between the two MCAs almost generated into a physical confrontation with the senior Wiper MCA, at one point, standing up to confront a woman colleague.
Trouble began when the nominated woman Wiper MCA entered the chambers and moved to sit in between his senior party colleague in the House and another nominated woman colleague. MWINGI TIMES conceals the names of MCAs involved for confidentiality.
At that time, Kinengo had delegated to his deputy and Kyangiwthya West MCA Christopher Nzilu to chair the full parliamentary committee to discuss and adopt Governor Julius Malombe’s memorandum on the Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2024 to unlock Sh14.8 billion for the county’s revised budget.
As the woman MCA bowed at the chair as is tradition and sat down, her woman colleague asked her whether she has brought kiraiku with her in the chambers.(Kiraiku is a Kamba snuff made from tobacco (kumbatu) leaves.
Before she could respond, the senior Wiper member, who was keenly following the conversation between the two, shouted unprintable words at the colleague who had just settled down, telling her to move out.
But the MCA resorted back angrily, telling her male colleague she wouldn’t be moved or scared by his boastful and intimidating approach towards her.
“Jaribu. kwenda huko. Unafikiria utanitisha?, na nini?, wachana na mimi”.(Loosely translated; I dare you. Get lost. You think you can scare me, with what? Leave me alone).
As things threatened to turn ugly, the sergeant-at-arms moved near before a Kitui East MCA signaled the Wiper nominated woman MCA to cool her tempers down and let the drama fade away.
Members at the Speaker’s, press and public galleries watched the drama as it unfolded with unabated breathe and in muted silence.
When business returned to normal and Speaker Kinengo resumed his seat, he summoned the woman MCA who was involved in the scuffle to his seat and begged her to let go the differences and the clash between her and her colleague.
The fight in the assembly exposes Kinengo’s camp in disarray even as rebels continue to give him give sleepless nights.
The county speaker who is facing a heightened political onslaught by Governor Julius Malombe in the assembly has to also contend with feud by members of his inner circle who are not seeing eye to eye.
Two warring camps, one led by Wiper’s Majority leader and Migwani MCA Harrison Maluki and the other Minority leader and Miambani MCA Alex Nganga have emerged threatening to spoil Kinengo’s grip in the Assembly.
The 40 ward representatives and their 20 nominated colleagues are split down the line whether to back the Motion to impeach Malombe’s Finance Executive Member Mr Peter Kilonzo when it comes on the floor on Tuesday.
The battle in the county which has been polarised into feuding camps also threatens to spoil Governor Malombe's legacy as he exits office in 2027.
MWINGI TIMES for timely and authoritative news.
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