Nairobi County is staring at a possible crisis following the dramatic arrest of Governor Mike Sonko, who is expected to be arraigned in court on Monday over graft claims.
With no deputy governor, there are fears that the devolved unit could become technically ungovernable, should the governor be charged tomorrow ( Monday).
However, renowned constitutional lawyer, Kamotho Waiganjo believes that the embattled governor can still save Nairobi and prevent the possibility of having a leadership crisis should he be ordered by the court to vacate office.
According to Waiganjo, the governor should swiftly nominate his deputy and leave the Courts to handle the matter.
"If Sonko cares for Nairobi, he would appoint somebody as Deputy Governor and later ask the Court to allow him to formalize the appointment," Waiganjo opined.
Waiganjo says that Sonko will remain Nairobi Governor until he resigns or he is impeached, something that even complicates things for County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi, who, constitutionally can assume county leadership in the absence of the Governor and his deputy.
Sonko's deputy Polycarp Igathe, who was elected alongside him in 2017, resigned barely four months later as their working relationship became highly strained.