Sonko impeachment plays out as Sakaja, Igathe debate
The impeachment of the former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko played out on Monday evening during the Nairobi gubernatorial debate between Senator Johnson Sakaja and Polycarp Igathe.
Sonko, who was elected in 2017, did not finish his term after the Nairobi County Assembly impeached him for misuse of the office in 2020.
During the debate, the two leading candidates for the seat exchanged words on how the case was handled.
Igathe, who was Sonko’s deputy before he resigned, accused Senator Sakaja of failing to rescue the county, while playing an oversight role in the Senate.
“When push came to shove, and the impeachment came to the floor of the senate, it’s up to Kenyans to see how you voted. Not only didn’t you make a decision, but you also abstained. You walked away from the conversation,” Igathe, who is running on a Jubilee ticket, said.
He also blamed the senator for failing to rescue Nairobi workers and overseeing the county’s rising debt.
In his rebuttal, Sakaja said it is Igathe who ran away from his role as the deputy governor, and that he would have been the right person to be the governor after Sonko was impeached.
“Governor Sonko would not have faced impeachment if you stuck in the office. If you had stuck in the office, probably you would have been the incumbent governor in Nairobi. If you were stuck in the office, there would be no mess in Nairobi,” Sakaja said.
He also questioned whether candidate Igathe would have the confidence to face the challenges in Nairobi. The senator also said he raised more questions and took Governor Sonko to the court for mismanaging the city.