Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s looming impeachment appears to have been temporarily defused following high-level interventions by President William Ruto and Orange Democratic Movement party leader Raila Odinga.
On Tuesday, Raila held a closed-door meeting with Sakaja and ODM-allied MCAs at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF), during which he persuaded them to suspend their push for impeachment. The discussions were aimed at creating space for dialogue and reconciliation between the Governor and the Assembly.
The developments were confirmed to Kenyans.co.ke by a source who attended the meeting, as well as Nairobi County ODM Chairperson George Aladwa, who later addressed the press.
Aladwa announced that the ODM MCAs had agreed to put the impeachment bid on hold for one month, giving Governor Sakaja time to adjust his leadership approach and mend ties with the Assembly.
Aladwa also revealed that Sakaja acknowledged all the accusations the MCAs levelled and apologised to them during the meeting.
''We have deliberated for nearly four hours, and the MCAs have raised all their concerns. Nairobi leadership, as well as the party, has also resolved to drop the impending impeachment to allow us to correct the wrong,'' Aladwa said.
''We have agreed that the Governor should be allowed to serve the people of Nairobi. We have also asked him to consider all that was contested about him or us to move forward.''
However, the deliberations made it clear that the motion will be suspended for a month to allow both sides to address the contested issues.
Aladwa, who is also the Makadara MP, explained that the decision was made to promote unity in the city and avoid unnecessary political battles, all for the benefit of Nairobi residents. "We have resolved that the concerns raised will be addressed within one month. This is to allow the governor time to concentrate on delivering services to the people of Nairobi," he said.
The meeting was attended by ODM MPs and other veteran politicians in the city, even as reports suggested that a similar meeting was also convened by senior United Democratic Alliance (UDA) leadership with its MCAs in the assembly to reach a similar conclusion.
President Ruto convened the separate UDA meeting at State House, Nairobi, where he cautioned them against pursuing the ouster motion.
On Sunday and Monday, both ODM and UDA MCAs had gathered over 70 signatures out of the 123-member house, with a bid to present an impeachment motion at the Nairobi County Assembly. They required at least 82 signatures to table an official motion of impeachment.
Key grievances that they had raised included the failure of the first-term Governor to fulfil campaign promises, delays in disbursing bursaries, and the stalled Ward Development Fund. They also accused him of neglecting the needs of Nairobi residents and ignoring the priorities of the county’s wards.
