City MCAs in fresh bid to impeach Speaker Elachi over abuse of office

Nairobi MCAs have started collecting signatures in a renewed bid to impeach Speaker Beatrice Elachi.

The ward representatives from both Jubilee Party and the Orange Democratic Movement had collected 51 signatures by Sunday afternoon.

Forty two signatures are needed for a notice of an impeachment motion to be tabled before the assembly.

CHARGES

The MCAs have at least six grounds for removing the Speaker from office in what is their second attempt.

They include abuse of office, illegal appointment of a new assembly clerk, corruption, poor leadership, victimisation of MCAs and assembly staff, impunity, disregard for the law and county orders, and militarisation of the assembly.

“Due to the above and many other reasons, over 80 members of the county assembly have today resolved to invoke section 11 of the recently enacted County Government (Amendments) Act, 2020 and commence an impeachment process against Speaker Elachi,” South B MCA Waithera Chege said on Sunday.

The notice will be submitted to the assembly clerk on Monday in accordance with sub-section 5 of the law.

FIRST IMPEACHMENT

Ms Elachi was impeached for the first time in September 2018 when more than 100 MCAs voted unanimously against her leadership.

She made a comeback last October after more than 13 months out of office but since her return, the assembly has been embroiled in battle after another.

The tussles saw clerk Jacob Ngwele locked out of his office and kicked out of the Public Service Board by the speaker.

Majority leader Abdi Guyo and former minority leader Elias Otieno were also thrown out of the board.