Embu Assembly Suspends Two CECMs

By BRIAN MUSYOKA 

Deputy Speaker Ibrahim Swaleh (MCA Kîrîmarî) moved the motion to suspend Lands CEC Member Raymond Kinyua while his Ruguru-Ngandori counterpart Muturi Mwombo made his submissions to have Health CEC member Jamal Runyenje step aside.

Speaker Josiah Thiriku sanctioned the tabling of the two motions as a matter of urgency, noting that grabbing of public land and neglect of public health facilities were threatening to provoke civil disobedience by the Embu County populace. 

Speaker Thiriku noted that two people had been killed during demonstrations protesting against the poor state of the Ishiara Level Four Hospital while Embu town was teetering on the brink of riots by traders opposed to their eviction from a public plot to pave way for private development.

The Assembly heard that Kinyua had allegedly within his tenure superintended over fraudulent and illegal allocation of public land to private developers, including plot number Embu/Municipality/1112/367 which was initially meant for expansion of the Embu Level Five Hospital. He also reportedly falsified a document from the National Environment Management Authority convening a public participation forum on change of user for the plot in question.

The CEC Member is accused of going against the County Assembly’s resolution to stop alienation of the land parcel pending investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on the circumstances leading to it’s allocation to a private developers.

On the other hand, the CEC Member for Health is alleged to have caused unnecessary loss of life by maladministration and incompetently handling the public healthcare sector and thwarting the implementation of the Embu County Health Services Act of 2024.

Ward Representatives lamented over the poor absorption of funds allocated by the County Assembly to the Health docket, which they said had led to the dilapidation of infrastructure and deterioration of conditions of public health facilities.

The two motions also resolved to form Ad-hoc committees to investigate the two officers and table their findings and recommendations within 60 days. The MCAs asserted that they would not shy away from impeaching the two CEC Members if found culpable of graft or incompetence. The officers will be accorded hearing by the Assembly and may be represented by lawyers.

MCAs who overwhelmingly supported the motion were quick to mention that calling for investigations into possible graft, incompetence, neglect and violation of the law by senior County Government officials was not politically instigated or meant to frustrate Governor Cecily Mbarire’s administration.