Baringo County Assembly Members (MCAs) have initiated the process of removing Roads County Executive Committee Member (CEC) for keeping untrimmed beards.
In a late night motion on October 25 that was seeking to impeach Eng. Lekonaya Kibwalel the movers failed to impeach the CEC but managed a minimum threshold to form a committee to investigate the executive.
After a vote that was presided over by the speaker Vincent Kemboi at 9pm the motion lost to those against the impeachment by getting 18 votes against 22 with one abstention.
Kisanana Ward MCA Jacob Cheboiwo who moved the debate on Wednesday arguing that the executive had failed to maintain an appropriate standard of dressing and personal hygiene.
Cheboiwo observed that the CEC has been conducting himself in unbecoming manner contrary to that of a public office holder even while attending official county functions.
He added that the said top official has in some occasions been drinking openly in open spaces thus causing disrepute to the office he holds.
The legislator who also cited constant harassment, bullying, intimidation and mistreatment of junior officers urged fellow MCAs to impeach the youthful CEC claiming that such behaviors contributes to poor service delivery in the department.
Tirioko Ward MCA Sam Lokales elicited laughter at the assembly when he said the CEC was captured attending a public event while intoxicated and it took the interventions of the master of ceremony to shield him from public ridicule.
“I have a clip of the said CEC, he was shaking when he was launching a project at Eldama Ravine recently,” he added.
Mochongoi ward MCA Kipruto Kimosop while supporting the impeachment motion accused the CEC for handling his department so casually.
Kimosop who is the deputy speaker said Kibwalel after convening a meeting for all Ward representatives from Baringo South to resolve an issue affecting county dozers machines in their area he could not give the status of the progress and couldn’t remember exactly what was discussed during the meeting when called for feedback later.
He said they are setting an example by removing the CEC so that it can serve as a lesson to other top county officials who like hiding behind the governor.
However, the MCAs who rose to defend the CEC read mischief in the motion saying it must have been driven by the fact that the Roads CEC effected transfers of some senior officials in the department who had overstayed.
Ribkwo Ward MCA Daniel Tuwit defended Kibwalel saying he is hardly seven months in office and that the audit queries and huge rollovers experienced in the department occurred prior to his appointment.
He argued that the changes in the department should be supported by the MCAs and not to blame him for the current woes in the department.
“It is too low for a whole assembly to debate on such a motion which should not have been allowed at the first place,” Tuwit said.
The legislator argued that having beards is a biological thing which is a norm in men which should not be blown out of proportion.
His sentiments were supported by Silale Ward MCA Clement Lomaringoria who said urged fellow MCAs not to go to the extent of discussing petty personal issues in the house.
Lomaringoria while opposing the motion said that the CEC who was vetted by some of the MCAs should be supported to uproot some of the cartels in the roads sector who has stagnated implementation of road networks across the county.
The Speaker while giving results at the end of voting exercise said 22 MCAs rejected the motion, 18 supported it as four were absent and one was abstained.
Kemboi however stated that the house will move forward to constitute a special committee to investigate the allegations against the CEC after attaining one-third of all the members of the assembly and report its findings within ten days.
By Benson Kelio and Christopher Kiprop
