An afternoon session at the Nakuru County Assembly on Thursday that was meant to impeach Nakuru County CeC for Roads Eng Lucy Kariuki ended prematurely.
This is after MCAs differed on the voting criteria.
Eng Kariuki on Wednesday had an opportunity to defend herself before an Ad-hoc committee.
The committee led by Kaptembwa Ward MCA Peter Kajwang’ tabled its report before the House after probing the CeC.
On Thursday, after more than two hours of a heated debate, a motion to vote was moved by Kajwang'.
It is at this juncture that Nakuru County Assembly Speaker Joel Maina Kairu made a ruling that the House would undertake secret ballot in voting.
The ruling on the use of secret ballot did not go well with a section of MCAs creating a division that prompted him to prematurely end the session.
Speaking thereafter, Olkaria Ward MCA Peter Palang’a who is also the Minority leader faulted the Speaker for the decision taken arguing that it was out of the standing orders of the House.
According to Palang’a whenever such a division takes place, the Speaker is required to allow open voting.
“The standing orders are very clear whenever there is a division in the house. But what the speaker has done today is out of order,” said Palang’a.
The Olkaria Ward MCA vowed to table a motion of impeachment against the Speaker, sentiments that were supported by Zachary Kahero, the vice-chair of the Ad-hoc committee that was probing the misconduct of the embattled Roads CeC.
“We are now going to take action against the speaker for going against the standing orders of the house to adjourn the House,” said the duo.
However, a section of MCAs who were against the impeachment of the Roads CeC lauded the move taken by the Speaker.
Led by Morendat ward MCA Peter Njoroge and Nominated MCAs Ibrahim Zeitun and Rose Njoroge, the leaders said they will not watch as a few MCAs misuse their oversight role to impeach Eng Kariuki.
They vowed also to defend Kairu for the decision taken.
“We want to state here that we shall defend women leaders and the decision speaker has taken is in order. Those planning to impeach him we shall face them in the House,” they said.
Nakuru County MCAs had in March adopted a report by the committee on Infrastructure that had recommended the impeachment of the Eng Kariuki.
The MCAs accused her of failing to deliver on the Boresha Barabara and street lighting projects that fall under her docket.
They noted that even after raising concerns on the projects in various wards and summoning the CEC a number of times to shed light on the said projects, she ignored most of their concerns and even snubbed their summons on a number of occasions.
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