Kitui assembly: is it a good idea for the Kitui county assembly to ‘work’ with the governor?

One of the enduring debates about the Kitui county assembly, from the time when Julius Malombe was Kitui governor to now when Charity Kaluki Ngilu is Kitui governor is on whether it is a good idea for the Kitui county assembly to ‘work’ with the governor. The Kitui assembly is based in that modern glass building somewhere opposite the Kitui catholic cathedral and before getting to Kitui’s Kunda Kindu bus and matatu terminus.

There are those who are of the view that the Kitui assembly needs to be constantly at loggerheads with the governor/executive, if proper oversight is to take place.

On the other hand of the debate, there are those who are of the view that more meaningful work is likely to be done if there is good rapport between the Kitui assembly and the governor/executive.

My own view on this matter is as follows: that it is indeed necessary for the Kitui assembly to have good relations with the governor/executive, without getting too cosy. You see, oversight doesn’t mean antagonism. It is possible for proper oversight to take place in a non-antagonistic setting. Oversight doesn’t mean hostility. If you have a county assembly that is openly hostile to the governor, then surely that is likely to have a negative impact on development. 

Coming from a colonial background, many of us are always under the impression that you have to be nasty to get things done. And that is the thinking which leads some MCAs to believe that they have to be hostile to the governor for oversight to take place. Yet modern management best practice is to supervise in a respectful, friendly way – thus getting things done without necessarily being too nasty. And that can be extended to county administration – where the MCAs in the Kitui assembly should aspire to undertake their oversight duties without necessarily being openly hostile to the governor/executive. When you come to think of it, that is the only way we can get things done. Otherwise there is likely to be a lot of push and shove, with the citizens being the losers in the process.

So my verdict is that it is a good idea for the members of the Kitui assembly to ‘work’ with the governor/executive, as long as they don’ get too cozy and as long as they don't neglect their oversight work.