In the Hansard report dated 21st December, a Nairobi Member of County Assembly bitterly complained that she has never had a chance to go for foreign trips and recommended that at least everyone should get this chance.
” Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir for this great opportunity to be able to give a word on this supplementary budget. I am particularly interested in the changes on domestic travel and foreign trips.
I have been here but I have not gone for any foreign trip. Several of us in this County Assembly haven’t gone for any foreign or domestic trip. I would like you to guide us, Mr. Speaker, why some go for foreign trips but others don’t go at all. It is a good change there that we want some additions. Many of it coming under the Clerk’s Office, we want to have everybody at least going for a foreign trip. They are supposed to be at least two foreign and two domestic. Let there be balance. I know we had a cash problem, but there should be a balancing of that. It is unfair for some people not to go while others have gone. This includes the workers,” MCA Mary Mwami said on 21 Dec 2021.
Mary Ariviza Mwami is a nominated MCA in Nairobi City County.
“My leaders, I honour and respect you, don’t take it disrespectfully, but please, as you go for foreign trips, also remember us. It is a sad thing for us to know that you are only going for foreign trips but some of us have
never gone. There are people who have been in this Assembly for a very long time but have never gone for
a foreign trip. The Service Board Member is here. Make sure you balance. This is an Assembly and it is an
open thing, we want to see how many people have gone for foreign and how many times, and how many
have never gone, and what you are going to do about it,” Mary said this while contributing to a debate on supplementary budget.
Charles Thuo Wakaridi, elected MCA for Dandora Area III, responded to Mary Mwami by stating that:
“Mr. Speaker, allow me also to mention that foreign trips are not meant to award anyone, they are working trips. People go to work and bring reports to this Assembly. If you do not have anything to do out there, you do not have business to go. It makes this Assembly to work. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.”
According to the Office of Controller of Budget implementation report for first quarter of financial year 2021/2022, Nairobi City County spent Ksh. 59 million on foreign travel of of which Ksh. 14 million was spent by the county Assembly.
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