Meru MCAs bid to impeach Speaker Joseph Kaberia fails

Meru County Assembly

Meru County Assembly in a past session.

Photo credit: File

What you need to know:

  • Several MCAs also questioned the presence of police officers in civilian clothes.
  • They accuse the Speaker of abuse of office, discrimination and overseeing misappropriation of funds.
  • But the group supporting the Speaker accused their colleagues of advancing selfish interests in the House.

Plans by a section of Meru MCAs to table an impeachment motion against Speaker Joseph Kaberia Tuesday failed after they were unable to present the resolution to the assembly clerk.

About 15 MCAs arrived at the assembly in a fleet of vehicles with blaring mu-sic to present their resolution within the timelines but the clerk and his deputy were not in office.

Despite the technical hitch, the group opposed to the Speaker vowed to oust him by making a surprise presentation of the resolution to the clerk’s office.

ARMED

In the afternoon session, Abogeta East MCA Mwirigi Karinga rose to inform the House that the sergeant at arms was armed in the chamber against standing orders.

Several MCAs also questioned the presence of police officers in civilian clothes positioned outside and within the assembly’s premises.

Nominated MCA Ester Karimi accused the clerk of using technicalities to defeat the planned impeachment motion.

"We had planned to present the motion to impeach the Speaker but when we came at 10am, we learnt that the clerk had gone into hiding. We are required to present the motion two hours before the sessions begin. This is why the clerk left office so as to come up with technicalities to kill this motion," Ms Karimi said.

ABUSE OF OFFICE

They accuse the Speaker of abuse of office, discrimination and overseeing misappropriation of funds.

Mr Karinga said 48 members have signed the resolution and were ready to go on with the impeachment motion.

“We will not be deterred from impeaching the Speaker. We will not be intimidated. We do not understand how Sh41 million in pending bills came to be yet this is a legislative House,” he said.

SPEAKER'S SUPPORTERS

But the group supporting the Speaker accused their colleagues of advancing selfish interests in the House.

Minority Leader Ayub Bundi said he was ready to release a list of how much each of the MCAs had earned in the assembly.

“It is unfair for an elected leader to taint the [Speaker’s name]. I want the name of every MCA who has gone abroad and money was paid be made public. If there is anyone found to have misused public funds, I will personally present the list to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission,” Mr Bundi said.

Ntunene MCA Jadiel Mauta said they would defend the Speaker against the attempts to remove him from office.

“Some of the MCAs who are talking of abuse of resources are members of the Public Accounts and Investment Committee which has been meeting for months and drawing allowances yet there is no report. We are not going to al-low selfish people to derail this assembly,” Mr Mauta said.