Kisii county assembly wrangles threaten service delivery
Kisii County Assembly during a past session. Speaker David Kombo and Clerk James Nyaoga are engaged in a supremacy battle over control of the house.
What you need to know:
- Speaker David Kombo and Clerk James Nyaoga in a supremacy battle over control of the house.
- Residents are worried that the continued tussle among the Assembly leaders will threaten service delivery.
- Some of the staff at the county assembly have alleged harassment and attack by goons.
Wrangles have continued to rock the Kisii County Assembly with speaker David Kombo and Clerk James Nyaoga fighting to take control of the house.
Deputy Clerk Mbaka Omwoyo has also been dragged in the wrangles.
Residents are worried that the continued tussle among the Assembly leaders will threaten service delivery as was the case in the last three years.
Both Mr Nyaoga and Mr Kombo are in the assembly courtesy of court orders and have been fighting to oust each other from office over allegations of graft, abuse of office, misuse of public funds, and illegalities committed among other issues.
Residents say the leadership wrangles in the new assembly are worrying because they may derail the election of a new speaker and general running of the house.
A letter dated August 24, 2022, addressed to Mr Nyaoga states that the clerk was suspended following a decision by the County Assembly Service Board and should therefore not carry any duties on behalf of the Assembly.
Immediate suspension
“You were issued a show cause letter dated July 25, 2022, and expected to give your response within seven days. However, the County Assembly Service Board notes that to date, no response has been received from you. Therefore, the allegations raised against you in the show cause letter remained unaddressed/unchallenged,” read the letter to Mr Nyaoga.
In addition, the letter read, “From the foregoing, and in view of the magnitude of the alleged offences, the County Assembly Service Board is left with no alternative other than to suspend you from duty with immediate effect.”
The letter demanded that the clerk hand over to the deputy clerk forthwith and while on suspension, he should not appear in the County Assembly precincts unless required to do so by the chairperson of the County Assembly Service Board.
“The purpose of your suspension is to prevent your possible interference and influence on the disciplinary process. You will however be entitled to your full salary and all authorized benefits,” read the suspension letter.
Some of the staff at the county assembly have alleged harassment and attack by goons at the main entrance.
Prior to the August 9 General Election, the speaker, Mr Kombo was locked out of office for two years.
Mr Kombo at the time said he was being fought by powerful people in the county executive through some Members of the Kisii County Assembly for selfish gains.
The on-and-off fights have affected service delivery at the Kisii County Assembly.
The chaos has most of the time halted sittings as members allied to speaker Kombo and clerk Nyaoga paralysed house activities.
Last year, three Members of the Kisii County Assembly sustained injuries after a fracas broke in the house.
The injured MCAs were part of a group in the assembly which was planning to conduct an election for a new speaker. Police later hurled teargas to disperse the group.
De-gazettement
The fighting in the assembly came just a day after a gazette notice revoking the de-gazettement of Mr Kombo was published.
“That further to the High Court Petition order of interim injunction, the Clerk of the Kisii County Assembly, their agents or anyone acting under their instructions was effectively stopped from declaring a vacancy in the office of the speaker of the county assembly of Kisii by way of gazettement,” read part of the gazette notice.
The gazette notice issued by Acting clerk Mbaka Omwoyo further read “Consequently, it is notified for the information of the general public and the residents of Kisii County that the Gazette notice issued on May 31, 2021, that declared a vacancy in the office of the Speaker of Kisii County assembly is hereby revoked.”
Mr Kombo moved to court to challenge the impeachment and his subsequent de-gazettement as house speaker by Mr Nyaoga.
A gazette notice dated May 27, 2021, read that the county assembly of Kisii approved a motion for the removal from office of Mr Kombo by impeachment.
But those who supported the embattled Speaker said the Members of the County Assembly keen to impeach him did not meet the required threshold in their voting.
“It is notified for the information of the general public and the residents of Kisii County that the Office of the Speaker of the County Assembly became vacant on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. Interested persons who qualify to be elected as the Speaker of the County Assembly are therefore invited to submit their nomination papers for election to the Office of the Speaker of the County Assembly of Kisii,” read the gazette notice.
“Nomination papers can be collected from the office of the clerk of the County Assembly of Kisii offices, during working hours from Monday, May 31, 2021.”
The gazette notice was followed by a letter lifting the suspension of Mr Nyaoga by the then-acting speaker Mr Davins Onuso.
He had been suspended by Mr Kombo earlier in the year over alleged corruption, gross misconduct and abuse of office, but sought court intervention.
