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Nairobi MCAs resume sittings amid fears of more drama


Nairobi County Assembly resumes sitting on Tuesday amid fears of another round of showdown over the fate of Speaker Beatrice Elachi.

The Ward Representatives have been on a month-long recess.

Top of their agenda will be how to deal with Ms Elachi who was impeached on September 6 during a special sitting, but obtained court orders reinstating her temporarily to her position.

SONKO’S IMPEACHMENT

The other business will be the planned impeachment of Governor Mike Sonko over his reluctance to appoint a deputy governor and his refusal to shift his operations from his Mua home back to his office at City Hall.

Despite Ms Elachi getting a reprieve from the Labour Court two weeks ago giving her more days in her seat, all is not rosy as the MCAs insist that ‘she must go.’

Minority Whip Peter Imwatok has told Nairobi News that Ms Elachi’s case is closed and there is no way she can reclaim the Speaker’s seat.

He argued that even if she comes back, then she must be voted in again as the Speaker according to the Assembly rules and procedures.

“Hers is a done case. If Elachi has to come back to the office, she must be voted back again into the office. The office is not a toilet where you just walk in and out as you wish. This is an institution. The same procedure that brought you in is the same one that brings you in again,” said Mr Imwatok.

ACTING SPEAKER

The Makongeni MCA explained that the Assembly will not suffer any vacuum as, in the meantime, the deputy speaker John Kamangu will be holding forte in an acting capacity until the matter is resolved.

“So far we do not have a substantive Speaker but we have a deputy Speaker who can preside over the running of the House and so there is no vacuum,” he said.

There have been reports that some MCAs have softened their stance over Ms Elachi’s possible return to the Assembly. But the ODM MCA laughed off the claims, saying that the matter was decided by the entire Assembly and not respective political parties .

“It is the assembly which made a decision and not political parties. It is the same assembly that has to sit down to resolve everything if it has to. And this I have not seen,” he said.

Reached for comment, Ms Elachi said the matter is before Court and would not wish to comment on it.

“I am in Eldoret and I will not be around tomorrow (Tuesday). I am not fighting anything so it is a non-issue at the moment as it is in Court until Friday maybe. They will have to come and start with house business. They have to create the business. And there are those motions and businesses in the order paper that we left while we were closing the Assembly they will proceed with,” said Ms Elachi on Monday.