NAIROBI, Kenya — Some members of the Nairobi County Assembly (MCAs) have threatened to impeach Governor Johnson Sakaja over unspecified grievances. The issue was discussed during an informal assembly, known as a “speaker’s Kamkunji,” held at City Hall early Tuesday morning.
However, critics have cast doubt on the plan, noting that the assembly is currently in recess, which complicates the process.
The MCAs have yet to draft a formal motion or collect the required signatures, but they plan to deliberate on the move during a retreat next week.
Majority Whip Moses Ogeto (Kilimani Ward) stated that the meeting was a forum to discuss members’ welfare and other emerging issues.
“Any member is free to draft a motion and seek signatures to impeach the governor,” Ogeto said, without disclosing the specifics of their grievances. According to Ogeto, the charges against Sakaja will not be disclosed at this stage, as the MCAs are still in consultation. He added that nearly 100 county legislators attended the meeting.
Speaker Ken Ng’ondi confirmed that while the idea of impeachment came up during the informal meeting, nothing concrete had been drafted.
“You cannot stop any member from speaking in such a forum. Someone can even shout, “Speaker Must Go.” However, when it comes to impeachment, there are procedures to be followed,” he said.
Ng’ondi stated that he would only comment on the matter if a member submits a formal petition outlining the grounds for impeachment.
“An impeachment of a governor is not about a mob lynch but establishing grounds. After such a Kamkunji, any member can make a follow-up and draft a motion indicating the grounds.”
Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai dismissed the impeachment threat, calling it a ploy to blackmail the governor. He linked the move to a dispute between the assembly and the executive over a planned land subdivision exercise in Nairobi.
“The MCAs want to wrestle the role of allocating those plots from the executive. This is a plot to intimidate the governor to surrender that role. I don’t trust those MCAs who attended the meeting,” Alai said.
Alai also accused the county assembly’s majority leadership of double standards, noting they had previously frustrated efforts to introduce an impeachment motion on the grounds that they lacked clearance from Raila Odinga.
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“The question is; have they now been cleared by Raila to send Sakaja home? I doubt it. It’s all about their interests. This is blackmail. They are more guilty of the crimes that they accused Sakaja of,” Alai added.
South B MCA Waithera Chege confirmed that the MCAs would proceed with a retreat next week to formalize the motion to remove Governor Sakaja.
“Today we had about 96 members and over; remember this assembly has 122 members, and therefore we are over and above the numbers required to impeach the governor and deputy,” she said.
Chege added, “The signatures will go on as long as the speaker who has called the retreat. It’s not the work of the speaker to collect signatures but members. Even if it means calling for a special meeting to deal with the specific agenda, we are ready.”