It’s ploy by greedy MCAs

Foreign trips are one of the most lucrative perks that politicians, especially members of the county assembly, have been enjoying. Dubbed bench-marking missions, they have proved to be costly junkets. No wonder, there is a looming row on the trips in Nairobi City County.

The trips were initiated to give the politicians an opportunity to visit other countries and learn from them how they have tackled their socioeconomic problems. However, the proliferation of such trips has confirmed the real motive, which is to line the pockets of the lawmakers.

Some of the host countries are no longer playing ball and it is not difficult to see why. The desired lessons on how the hosts turned adversity into progress by adopting innovative ways of tackling problems have not been forthcoming. Some of the hosts have seen through the lies and confirmed the motive behind the trips. Nothing tangible has come out of them.

A looming collision in Nairobi County Assembly over foreign trips is hardly surprising. Some disgruntled MCAs allege bias in the awarding of trips, alluding to the real reason it is made, which is to chalk up allowances for individuals. There is intense rivalry among the MCAs on who should make the trips, amid claims of bias in their granting. The trips have turned into rewards for individuals rather than benefit to the counties.

A recent report by the Controller of Budget confirmed that governors and MCAs spent up to Sh11.4 billion on domestic and foreign travel after the government recently lifted travel restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the colossal amount is to enable a few people to go sightseeing at public expense. Such travel should only be sanctioned if it adds value to the counties, which has not been proven so far.