Spare Sonko the personal attacks, Speaker Elachi pleads with MCAs
The Speaker of Nairobi County Assembly, Beatrice Elachi, has asked Members of the County Assembly to stop personal attacks on Governor Mike Sonko.
This follows the recent ugly verbal spat between the governor and Kitisuru MCA Alvin Palapala.
Mr Sonko, while addressing the crowd during the launch of a children’s park in Kangemi on Saturday, accused Mr Palapala of insulting his mother after refusing to heed his request to buy him iron sheets.
Governor Sonko also alleged that the MCA is one of two ward representatives ‘sponsored’ by his opponents to fight and blackmail him.
He went ahead to ask the ward residents to collect signatures to recall the MCA for disrespecting and insulting him.
Mr Palapala denied the accusations saying that he only asked the governor to buy iron sheets and blankets for Nairobi residents who had been left homeless after a fire incident.
Now Ms Elachi wants all MCAs to restrain from dragging the name of Governor Sonko into personal issues, urging the members to respect the governor.
PERSONAL ISSUES
“Our Governor is a family man and he is the father of the county of Nairobi, so we have to respect him. I believe he is doing his work and your work is to oversight but not dragging the his name into your personal issues,” said Ms Elachi.
Ms Elachi pleaded with the MCAs to learn to separate work related issues with personal issues and only concentrate on working for the people who elected them and on matters that relate only to the Assembly.
“When you go to the governor, go and do your work and when you finish the work, you don’t need to put it on WhatsApp with other personal issues,” she said.
The Speaker’s sentiments were echoed by Kariokor MCA Millicent Mugadi who urged her colleagues to set boundaries when it comes to how they relate to and address the City Hall boss.
“We cannot be on social media attacking the governor on his personal lifestyle and personal issues. Let us stick to what brought us here, which is our obligation to Nairobi residents,” said the chairperson of Education committee.
Mr Palapala is not the only MCA who has had a spat with the Governor. He joins a list which also includes Minority Whip Peter Imwatok who does not see eye-to-eye with Mr Sonko.