Kiambu row boils over as MCAs eject House leader, chief whip

Kiambu County Assembly members (MCAs) have kicked out Majority Leader Antony Ikonya and Chief Whip James Mburu as the House, grappling with claims of “going to bed” with the executive, seeks to reclaim its independence.

Kiganjo MCA Alex Kabuu, Mr Ikonya’s deputy, and Margaret Gatonye, Mr Mburu’s deputy, were also impeached during a Kamukunji on Wednesday evening after past futile trials.

They are Governor Ferdinand Waititu’s point men in the assembly.

CHARGES

According to the impeachment motion, the charges are “sleeping with the executive”, intimidation, arrogance and being unruly, inability to handle party members, and poor performance by the assembly and its committees.

The motion also claims that the leaders were forced on MCAs by the governor.

On Wednesday evening, the MCAs held a two-hour Kamukunji at the assembly’s lounge to implement the impeachment plot, including signing the motion that was then forwarded to the Jubilee Party for ratification.

SESSION DELAYED

The Kamukunji, which delayed the afternoon session from 2.30pm to 5.43pm, was marred by shouting and at one time, MCAs gave Speaker Stephen Ndichu a dressing-down and ordered him out after he allegedly tried to get them to drop the plot.

Mr Ikonya (Kiambu Town) was replaced by Ndeiya MCA Gideon Gachara, who was among the MCAs who challenged the county’s controversial supplementary budget in court, while Ann Wanjiku (nominated) becomes his deputy.

Mr Simon Karema (Theta) is the new whip, with nominated MCA Margaret Mwango as his deputy.

The motion, signed by more than 50 of the 92 members, indicted the four for bulldozing motions and bills through the House even when they are unfair to the electorate.

BILLS

Notable among such bills are the 2018 Finance Bill, 2018 Enforcement Bill and supplementary budgets.

These tactics, members said, had denied them time to scrutinise and deliberate on the content of the motions and bills as their legislation mandate demands.

Mr Ikonya was also accused of running the assembly as a one-man show with unwarranted intimidation and arrogance, thereby rendering his colleagues irrelevant and inefficient.

Further, the unhappy MCAs were dissatisfied with how the House leaders were dealing with members.

Another concern is that Mr Waititu allegedly influenced their election during a night meeting that they said compromised their oversight role.

In November 2018, then Majority Whip Elijah Njoroge, the Biashara MCA, resigned in circumstances said to have been the result of a vicious battle over the control and management of the House.