As we have been persistently saying, something is amiss with our MCAs. They are the new face of greed and selfishness. They have tainted the title that they revere so much to be addressed by, mheshimiwa, and sunk too low and betrayed the very people who put them into those positions. Our constitution envisaged MCAs to be people of honour, selfless servants of the people and brave defenders of devolution. But events that have transpired in the recent past have depicted a grim picture of power-hungry and selfish folks who think they were elected to enrich themselves and make useless trips all over the world. One and half years after they were elected, they have little or nothing to show to the electorates saves for their trips abroad and fat allowances. A report released this week by the Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo shows that counties have spent most of their funds on pampering MCAs at the expense of development projects. In Meru county, we have seen them make noise all over the place while mwananchi continues to suffer. Meru County government has spent its Shs 6 billion on their salaries, allowances and unnecessary trips abroad while spending almost nothing on development. The only 'development' we have seen out of the 6 billion is 15 kongoni bulls worth Shs 200 million and tiling of the Tuskys stage in Meru town. How long will this plundering of our resources continue? What's the role of citizens in ensuring that our funds are spent prudently? Will our county experience any meaningful development under these people?
By Strive Masiyiwa A few weeks ago I went to the doctor. I will tell you what he said about my health at the end, but first read this: Twenty years ago, I arranged to meet a well-known British international businessman who invested a lot in Africa at the time. We agreed to meet for dinner at a leading hotel in London. After a good meeting, we started to walk out of the restaurant when he suddenly collapsed in the lobby. There was total pandemonium as they rushed to get medical assistance. Being London, an ambulance arrived in minutes. I jumped in the back with him as paramedics wrestled to keep him alive. He had had a heart attack and had to have triple bypass heart surgery. Sadly he died a few weeks later. He hadn't been sick and his sudden death surprised everyone. And yet as I reflected on it, and later discussed it with a doctor friend who knew him, I realized he was very laid back about his health despite having a hectic business life. Even during our dinner...
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