Amid impeachment bid, Obado comes face to face with Raila

ODM leader Raila Odinga and Migori Governor Okoth Obado are Friday set to share a podium for the first time since the latter was barred from accessing his office after facing corruption charges.

Mr Odinga and a host of ODM legislators are expected in Ombasa Village in Awendo Sub-County for the burial of Mr Peter Sirawa, the father of Awendo MP Walter Owino.

The meeting follows ODM’s reaffirmation that the highly anticipated impeachment motion against the embattled governor is on course.

ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna said the tabling of the motion was delayed by discord in the county assembly but will be done at an “appropriate time”.

“Mr Obado must be impeached; that is the party’s position. Those peddling a notion that the bid has flopped will be in for a big surprise. The timetable for presenting the motion remains the party’s secret weapon,” Mr Sifuna told the Nation on the phone.

Obado’s stance

Governor Obado has accused some party officials of plotting his ouster for political gain and has maintained that he will not be reduced to a shell by people out to create disunity in his county.

Last weekend, at a funeral in Obama Village in his Uriri backyard, he fired salvos at the ODM stalwarts pushing for his impeachment while promising to “deal decisively with forces within the party, hell-bent on seeing my destruction despite the matter remaining unresolved in court”.

“I cannot be cowed by a few political demagogues nursing losses in previous elections. I will sort them out when the right time comes. In the ancient Luo community, errant and wayward children were subjected to treatments that involved suffocation with traditional herbs, that would return them to normalcy. That's exactly what I will do to some of my opponents,” he said to cheers.

So far, Migori MCAs appear to have developed cold feet after chaotic assembly sessions that left one with a broken arm.

MCAs allied to the governor are said to be keen on shooting down the bill should it be tabled.

Initially, the MCAs were capitalising on the absence of the speaker and his deputy to prolong and eventually scuttle the ambition but the election of a new deputy speaker left  many considering the success of the push against Mr Obado by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Sharp rift

The Nation has further established that the delayed tabling of the motion has created a sharp rift among MCAs, with several rekindling their position on the impeachment.

By Tuesday, only 18 ODM MCAs were actively clamouring for the bid, from the initial 31 who had appended their signatures when ODM summoned its members.

The rest have now taken a soft stand on the issue following the chaotic scenes at the assembly and allegations of intimidation and blackmail.

According to the assembly’s standing orders, only the speaker or deputy speaker can preside over a bid to impeach a governor.

Article 61 (1) of the standing orders states that before initiating the impeachment process, a  member shall deliver to the assembly clerk a copy of the motion in writing and duly signed,  stating the grounds for the intended ouster.

After the motion is approved and duly signed by a third of the assembly members, the clerk shall submit it to the speaker for approval before the member issues a seven-day notice calling for the said impeachment.

Once convinced of tangible grounds for the bid and with the support of a third of the MCAs, the speaker shall then proceed to officiate it.

Conflict of interest

An MCA privy to the happenings at the assembly said the motion risked hitting a snag since the newly-elected Deputy Speaker Mathews Chacha, despite being an ODM member, enjoys a cordial relationship with Mr Obado.

Mr Chacha was elected to replace Mr George Omamba, whose legitimacy was quashed by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

“The impeachment bid may still prove an uphill task to the party as there are no solid grounds apart from the numerous court cases the governor faces,” one of the MCAs said.

“With the party prevailing upon the governor to step aside or face removal, more members are resorting to being his sympathisers.”

The faction drumming up support for the ouster bid is led by North Kanyamkago MCA George Omamba, who enjoys ODM’s support.

The opposition faction, which consists of eight pro-Obado MCAs., is led by Kaler MCA Thomas Akungo, who has accused Mr Odinga’s party of “employing dictatorial tendencies to steer through their selfish ambition”.

The protracted antagonism seems to have heightened, with seven MCAs allied to Governor Obado arraigned in Migori last Tuesday over claims of assault and creating disturbance.

Speaker Boaz Okoth was also held by police in Nairobi over corrupt dealings at the assembly.