Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi has vowed to challenge court’s stand on halting Governor Mike Sonko’s impeachment motion.
High Court’s justice Byrum Ongaya on Monday, March 2 stopped an impeachment motion against Sonko which had been filed by Makongeni Member of County Assembly Peter Imwatok and was set to come up for debate in the assembly on Tuesday, March 3.
However, Elachi criticised the reasons given by the court for halting the process citing that a county assembly is an independent institution and its mandate should not be interfered with.
“After consultation with the House Business Committee, I have suspended the motion until further notice. However, the reasons by the court to have the impeachment motion suspended will not go unchallenged and as the Speaker I will stand firm in defending this institution,” said Elachi.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday met city MCAs to discuss way forward for Nairobi including halting Sonko’s impeachment.
Out of the 122 Nairobi MCAs, 115 were in attendance in a meeting that focused majorly on the new Nairobi county takeover by the national government.
Uhuru had prevailed on the MCAs to drop the idea on the grounds that impeaching the governor would throw the county into a by election and greatly interfere with service delivery.
It remains to be seen whether Elachi will make good her threat that could also put her at loggerheads with Jubilee party’s leadership.
Sonko is facing a KSh 357 million graft case with the list of charges including money laundering, receiving bribes and conflict of interest.
The governor was also barred from accessing his office unless escorted by an investigative officer in the ruling delivered by Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti in December.
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