MCAs ask for armed security officers, following Wajir MCA's death
Naivasha East MCA Stanley Karanja
Days after the death of a Member of Wajir County Assembly Yussuf Hussein Ahmed, the MCAs union has now revived their push for the arming of the representatives.
Mr Stanley Karanja, the secretary General for the County Assembly Forum has also called upon the government to ensure the security of MCAs by assigning them armed police officers.
Mr Karanja who is also the Naivasha East MCA lamented what he termed as discrimination of the ward representatives in regards to such benefits.
According to him, the MCAs work has similar risks to those facing legislators in the Senate and the National Assembly who have their security.
“I am calling upon the National government to guarantee the security of the MCAs. It is not in order to have Senators and MPs having their security details while denying the MCAs,” says Mr Karanja.
Mr Karanja who was reacting to the recent death of the Dela ward MCA argued that there are areas in the country which have security challenges which puts the lives of the MCAs at risk.
He however called for speedy investigations to establish the killers of Mr Hussein and the reasons behind his abduction and murder.
Mr Karanja raised concerns over the increasing cases of abductions and murders of MCAs in the country which he said was alarming.
“We need to know the person who is targeting the MCAs and why he wants them dead. We are all shocked by this incident and would want the government to get to the bottom of it,” says Mr Karanja.
The decomposing body of the MCA was found in Lake Yahud on Monday after going missing for over a month.
Family members who rushed to the morgue to identify the body said it was badly tortured and decomposed.
Lawyer Steve Opar advised that the MCAs should sponsor a bill in Parliament to allow them to have body guards since the current law has no such provisions.
“In case there are some who feel their lives are in danger, they can put a request to the county Police commander to make arrangements on their security,” says Mr Opar.