Nairobi News

A showdown is looming at Nairobi County Assembly with rival MCAs set to launch a fresh impeachment motion against Speaker Beatrice Elachi.

The assembly has been on a two-week break since its indefinite adjournment by Speaker Elachi following the chaos witnessed at the precincts when Ms Elachi made her long awaited return on October 9.

NORMAL BUSINESS

Speaker Elachi said she took the decision in order for normalcy to return by giving the time away for members to find ways of sorting out existing differences and chart a way forward before allowing for the sittings to resume.

The regular sittings will return on Tuesday in the afternoon after the speaker gazetted the resumption date as October 29.

Speaker Elachi said that they have had a meeting of the House Business Committee which locates what is to be discussed at the plenary and it will be business as usual.

“We expect to do normal business as usual and we have just had a meeting of the House Business Committee and allocated agenda for the afternoon sitting,” said Ms Elachi.

However, the rival faction led by Majority Leader Abdi Guyo claimed that a planned has been hatched to cause chaos and intimidate members even as they said they will not relent in their quest to once again impeach Ms Elachi.

The ward representatives claimed that they have never set foot at the assembly precincts since Elachi returned for fear of being attacked.

PLANNED CHAOS

“We have credible information that there are some people who have planned to cause chaos when we resume. We are calling on the national government to provide security at the assembly precincts starting 11am,” said South B MCA Chege Waithera during a press conference at Bonds Restaurant in Nairobi.

The MCAs allied to the Jubilee Party wing, nevertheless, said they will not be deterred and will be present today for the afternoon session.

“We will be present for the plenary and also for the committee sittings and we shall continue with our mandate,” said Waithaka MCA Anthony Kiragu.

On the impeachment motion, Ms Waithera said already 67 ward representatives have appended their signatures on the censure motion surpassing the threshold of 45 members. She said the impeachment motion will be moved by Utawala MCA Patrick Karani.

“We have resolved to impeach her for the second time and set the record straight and the signatures from members already shows the support for the motion,” she said.

“We have chosen to do it a second time to take her back home where she belongs. We will do what needs to be done to restore sanity at the assembly,” added Mr Kiragu.

The MCAs also warned Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju to stop meddling in the party affairs at the assembly accusing him of forming a rogue committee that has interfered with the independence of the party.

OLIVE BRANCH

They claimed that a number of them have been approached to be convinced to have the majority leader seat taken away from Mr Guyo and given to an MCA from the Mt Kenya region.

Mihang’o MCA Paul Kados and Roysambu MCA Peter Warutere claimed they have been personally approached on the matter.

“We want the party to remain independent and stop taking tribal inclinations in its decisions. They must follow the law in removal of any member from a leadership position or from the assembly board,” said Mr Kiragu.

Last week, Speaker Elachi said she was ready to work with all MCAs dismissing claims her return to office owes much to support by ODM MCAs.
This was after Mr Tuju had brokered what seemed like a truce between the party’s warring factions at the assembly.

But Ms Elachi’s extended olive branch was dismissed by Mr Guyo who said they will still pledge allegiance to “their speaker”, Ngara MCA Chege Mwaura.

“Until the party brings us to the table because Elachi is a Jubilee speaker, and we air our grievances with her, we will not work together.”