In a searing indictment of county-level political accountability, Kitutu Chache North Member of Parliament Mokaya Nyakundi accused County Assembly Members (MCAs) of acting as “slaves to governors,” amid mounting public anger over deteriorating roads across Kenya.
Nyakundi delivered the rebuke during the second reading of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Bill in the National Assembly. He decried a failure of oversight, warning that MCAs have abandoned their duty to supervise county executives, allowing governors to misuse budgets—and leaving infrastructure neglected. “Most of the MCAs have been made slaves of these governors,” he fired, highlighting growing frustration: “When you go to the constituency… everyone is asking MPs to do the roads because governors are not doing their job, and MCAs won’t hold them to account”.
The remark comes amid sustained public frustration over impassable and unsafe roads in numerous counties. Nyakundi warns that political patronage has hollowed out the devolution model, shifting county assemblies into echo chambers for governors—often in return for personal benefit.
He cautioned that the PFM Bill—which aims to tighten county financial controls—will be meaningless if MCAs continue as political puppets. “This bill is a step in the right direction,” he acknowledged. “But it will mean nothing if our MCAs remain puppets”.
Nyakundi also condemned rising expectations on MPs to resolve road problems—a civic burden devolved to county governments. He cast blame squarely at governors for failing their mandates, and criticized MCAs for enabling the neglect by prioritizing loyalty over accountability.
Supporting his argument, Ainamoi MP Benjamin Langat echoed the charge that MCAs have subsumed their roles in dependence on governor-controlled funds. He warned that this financial dependency undermines the assembly’s independence: “Because the moment you rely on the person you are overseeing to give you money, you will not be doing your job properly because they will be controlling you from behind”.
The lawmaker urged parliamentary intervention to restore devolved governance’s promise of improved service delivery. He called for reforms that empower MCAs to hold county executives responsible, strengthen local infrastructure oversight, and end governors’ unchecked fiscal dominance.
In Kitutu Chache North, disillusionment is tangible. Residents have repeatedly protested over impassable roads, a sign, Nyakundi argues, of democratic breakdown at the grassroots. As MCAs fail to serve as watchdogs, communities fall into neglect—and MPs are forced to pick up the pieces.
