Kitui MCAs suffer blow as high court halts Treasury Executive impeachment

Kitui County Treasury Executive, Mary Nguli, on Monday obtained high court orders stopping the County Assembly from proceeding with any process aimed at impeaching her.
In a bid to settle political scores, Nguli avered in court papers that the members of the Kitui County Assembly moved to irregularly and unprocedurally impeach her as the CEC Treasury in blatant abuse of the Constitution, County Government Act and their own standing orders.
To safeguard her rights, the CEC Treasury through her legal team led by Peter Wanyama and Maina Ngaruiya filed a Constitutional Petition to espouse her predicament in the hands of individuals who are propelled by no more than political witch-hunt and malice.
Motion of impeachment for the Kitui County Finance Executive Mary Nguli was passed by a majority vote by the County Assembly last week on Tuesday afternoon.
The County Assembly Speaker George Ndotto now paves way for the formation of the ad-hoc select committee of five to investigate the issues raised against the CEC and report tabled in the house within ten days.
Impeachment of Nguli was executed just a few days after the Wiper Party MCAs shot down a supplementary budget from the Executive meant to uplift the lives of the ordinary Kitui populace.
Leading the onslaught, Tseikuru MCA Boniface Kasina Kilaa said that she flouted procurement rules and failure to implement the budget saying that a similar motion was tabled in 2015 in Kiambu County where she served in the same capacity.
‘She failed to pay the pending bills in time and incompetence in the management of county affairs adding that her tenure has been characterized by failure to pay the county workers,’ said Kasina.
He said that for the county to move forward in realizing its developmental goals, the Finance Executive has to face the axe and in her place appoint an experienced person with capability to honour house resolutions and implement the budget.
Majority Leader and Athi Ward MCA Peter Kilonzo and Chief Whip Stephen Kivunzi (Kyuso MCA) said that the impeachment had no ulterior motives adding that it was done based on facts as tabled on the floor of the house for debate.
However, an insider in Narc Kenya that floored Wiper during the 2017 Kitui County gubernatorial contest read malice, sabotage and blackmail in shooting down the supplementary budget appropriations saying that there is a wide scheme to discredit Governor Charity Ngilu’s administration.
Wiper party controls the majority of the 54 ward representatives in the county assembly, a tool that the members are using to the disadvantage of the Governor’s wing.
Governor Ngilu has appealed to Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka to tame the MCAs to toe her line in efforts geared towards fulfilling her pre-election pledges to the electorate.
Majority leader Peter Kilonzo defended Wiper Leader saying MCAs were not taking instructions from the Wiper party leader on how to conduct the assembly business.
Even though the two politicians have agreed to work together in developing the county, the slightest of misunderstandings is being interpreted as a renewal of their old political rivalry.
The assembly is headed by Speaker Ndotto, best known for the twenty years he spent trying to unseat Mrs Ngilu as the MP for Kitui central and their long standing rivalry casts a large shadow in the county.
Ngilu’s camp believes that Wiper party are still upset with the fact that she defeated their candidate in the polls and they still harbour sour grapes.
The MCAs have vowed to oust the County Finance Executive Mary Nguli over claims of gross incompetence in protecting the county expenditure.
By Yobesh Onwong’a