Members of the Lamu County Assembly, on Wednesday, rejected Governor Issa Timamy’s deputy governor nominee after the motion failed to attract support from the majority of the members.
The motion for Mr Gichu’s approval had been tabled in the House on Wednesday afternoon by Majority Leader and Kiunga Ward Representative Bwana Mohamed Bwana where Speaker Azhar Ali Mbarak put it to an open vote without any debate.
Out of the 18 MCAs present, nine voted against the motion while another nine supported it with only one being absent. As such, the motion failed to a simple majority vote of more than 51 per cent of the members.
James Gichu was appointed by Governor Timamy on Wednesday, October 16, after the death of former Deputy Governor Raphael Munyua Ndung'u who died on September 6, 2024, while receiving treatment at a hospital in Nairobi.
The law provides that if the deputy governor passes away, the office shall be declared vacant and the governor is at liberty to make an appointment of his deputy governor with the County Assembly's approval.
The seat had been vacant for over a month until Gichu’s appointment. As required by law, the governor presented James Gichu’s name to the county assembly for vetting and approval where it did not garner the required threshold.
The county assembly with ten elected MCAs outrightly rejected the nomination meaning Governor Timamy will have to make a new appointment.
A motion for the approval of the deputy governor must be supported by a majority of the Members of County Assembly (MCAs) before swearing in of the appointee.
Gichu served as a County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Agriculture, Irrigation and Food Security in the County.
It has not yet been established why the MCAs shot down his appointment two weeks after his appointment by Governor Timamy on October 16.
Supporters of James Gichu faulted the Lamu County Assembly for rejecting the appointee asking MCAs to come forward and explain their reasons.
They further blamed the Assembly for procedural irregularities that impeded the approval of Gichu as the deputy governor nominee.
It waits to be seen the trajectory things will take as the Lamu Governor has not yet commented on the issue. Governor Timamy has been operating for over 6 weeks without a deputy governor which constitutionally strained his office as he requires a deputy to execute some official duties.
