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Sonko’s impeachment hearing begins

By Collins Omulo December 16th, 2020 2 min read

Nairobi County Assembly on Wednesday ahead of Governor Mike Sonko’s impeachment trial.

The assembly entourage, led by Minority Leader and mover of the impeachment motion Michael Ogada, is accompanied by a team of five lawyers.

Mr Ndegwa Njiru, the lawyer who gained famed representing Kirinyaga Assembly against Governor Anne Waiguru before the Senate in June this year, will lead the assembly’s legal team.

Other members of the team include Majority Whip Paul Kados, Minority Whip Peter Imwatok, and his deputy Moses Ogeto.

Governor Sonko also arrived at the Senate together with his team. He faces four charges for his removal as governor.

They include gross violation of the Constitution and other laws, abuse of office, commission of crimes under the national laws, and lacking the mental capacity to run the county government.

In Wednesday’s sitting, the session commenced with communication from Speaker Ken Lusaka regarding the impeachment trial.

The House will then go into a close session where senators will be briefed by their lawyers, who have gone through the charges and evidences presented, before going back for an open session starting 11am.

All the four charges and the particulars levelled against the former Makadara MP by the mover of the censure motion Mr Ogada will be read out during the open session to the members before a lunch break then on coming back, there will be opening remarks by the two parties.

Thereafter, four hours will be given for the county assembly to present their case with their legal team led by lawyer Njiru.

They will present their evidences and witnesses with the governor lawyers also using the time to cross examine the assembly witnesses.

Come Thursday, the governor and his team will also have four hours to discount the allegations against him and also present their witnesses, who will also be cross examined by the assembly legal team. Then there will be rebuttals from either side.

Thereafter, there will be closing remarks before the senators go into a session in camera where there will be deliberations before the senators come back for voting.

The Senate has 67 elected and nominated senators, but the law allows the 47 elected ones to vote to either impeach a Governor or not.

Governor Sonko will need 24 votes to survive his removal from office failure to which he will join former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu as the second governor to lose his seat via impeachment.