Kidero impeachment motion revived as fight for office space with MCAs escalates
A stand-off between Nairobi County Government and the assembly over office spaces has triggered the commencement of impeachment motion against Governor Evans Kidero slated for debate on Tuesday.
Assembly Speaker Alex ole Magelo on Monday directed commencement of impeachment motion against Dr Kidero.
The row started in October when more than 400 County Assembly workers were ordered to vacate the northern wing of City Hall, home of Dr Kidero’s government.
“What the assembly must do now is respond to this utter disrespect and send a clear message that the motion of impeachment of the governor Nairobi be slotted for debate on Tuesday November 29th 2016,” said Mr Magelo.
The Speaker said an existing court order had only blocked Dr Kidero from appearing before the House to defend himself, but not the assembly from impeaching him.
IMPEACHMENT MOTION
The impeachment motion had stopped in October following a court order obtained by the governor.
Mr Magelo had given the governor an ultimatum to withdraw a court case over the office space and warned that he would push ahead with the motion.
In the motion sponsored by Viwandani MCA Samuel Nyangwara, Governor Kidero is accused of failing to control the county’s ballooning debt, now standing at Sh42 billion, irregular awarding of tenders and abuse of office.
“Effective Thursday 24th November 2016, the assembly ceases forthwith any relationship it has with county executive,” Mr Magelo said in his communication to the MCAs.
“The consequences of the above is that effectively the assembly will not entertain any business from the county executive and such the consideration of the supplementary estimates 2016 and any other such business is suspended.”
CASH CRISIS
The county executive will likely suffer a major cash crisis. A Sh34.1 billion supplementary budget is still pending before the regional House.
The assembly is also set to approve the County annual Development plan 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 and the County Fiscal strategy paper 2017/2018.
On Thursday last week, the row got chaotic after officials of the county government tried to break a wall by the assembly to cordon off the wing.
A furious Magelo later told off the executive in a meeting with Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery and at the assembly.
The Speaker said that the assembly had been mistreated and treated like strangers in their own county.
