Nairobi, KENYA: Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi’s impeachment got a reprieve after the High Court stopped it till the matter is heard and determined.
Justice Maureen Onyango of the high court called the matter as urgent and issued a conservatory order stopping the assembly and its services board from removing Ms Elachi from office or appointing a new nominee until all the parties are heard.
“Pending the hearing and determination of this Notice of Motion, a Conservatory Order do issue prohibiting the respondents, their members or any person acting under their behest and direction, from interfering with the execution of the Petitioner of her duties current as the Nairobi City County Assembly Speaker, or otherwise howsoever debating, deliberating upon, or removing from office the Petitioner as the office of the Speaker, Nairobi City County Assembly,” orders issued by the Employment and Labor Relations Court.\
The Nairobi Members of county assembly MCAs on Thursday voted in numbers to surpass the two-thirds constitutional threshold of 85 members needed for such a motion to go through.
The MCAs voted in numbers, as 103 out 122 members supported the motion as only two opposed and two others abstained.
Waithaka Ward MCA Anthony Kiragu tabled the impeachment motion leveling several accusations against Elachi including that she had undermined the County Assembly Service Board, quoting in excess of Sh25 million for the purchase of the Speaker’s residence which valued at Sh100 million and threatening the assembly staff to award the tender to her relative.
The MCAs, however, aware of the process of impeachments, they amended all the clauses paving way for the impeachment to go on the very day of issuing the notice of motion.
The case is set to be heard on Tuesday 11 of September 2018.
