Citing contradictory remarks about El Nino funds from the Council of Governors (COG) and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Senator Richard Onyonka of Kisii has criticized the Government's disarray.
Early Thursday morning, Onyonka discussed the discrepancy between Gachagua's announcement regarding the release of funds and the Council of Governors' denial of Citizen TV's Daybreak program.
At the grassroots level, Onyonka stressed the importance of effective communication during economic stress.
"What comes out is indeed how disorganized the Government is. I think the reason why the Governors came back very fast is because they know due to the economic downturn and stress at the local level," Onyonka said.
He emphasized the possible damage to the County Government's reputation if funds were obtained but not applied to El Nino preparation.
"When people hear that money has been released to the County Governments and the governors have not done anything about that money and preparedness, the Government looks disorganized," he added.
He also stated that he trusted the statements made by the governors more than those made by the Deputy President, pointing out that more persuasive communication within the administration was needed.
Senator Danson Mungatana of Tana River, who was also a panelist on the morning show, demanded that the disagreement between COG and Deputy President Gachagua end, highlighting the effects on local communities.
"This squabbling between the Council of Governors and the Deputy President about who is right and wrong; for us it means nothing. What we really need is action on the ground and it is a very bad show for us to see leadership quarrelling when they should be doing something out there about the situation," Mungatana said.
He asked leaders to put more emphasis on taking concrete action than arguing in public.
Mungatana continued, "Leadership needs to unite so that there is no confusion over relief efforts."
Dismissive of the Federal Government, Senator Tabitha Mutinda, who was nominated, said counties should have made their plans for emergency funding.
"It is evident that the counties should be able to plan for emergency funds on their own when you look at the money that is disbursed through the finance committee that I sit on," the speaker stated.
The nominated senator continued by emphasizing the need to refrain from assigning blame and urging county governments to take the initiative in efficiently allocating funds.
