Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko's decision to nominate a deputy governor has received a huge boost after the Council of Governors (CoG) moved to back his controversial decision.
In a statement released by the CoG on Wednesday, January 8, the governors announced that they were in full support of the decision by the embattled governor.
"The council of governors wishes to acknowledge the nomination of a Deputy Governor by Mike Mbuvi Sonko in line with Article 180 (5) which provides that "a county governor shall nominate a person who is qualified for a nomination as a candidate for Deputy Governor," the statement read.
Sonko nominated a deputy governor, Anne Kananu Mwenda on January 6, despite a court ruling preventing him from doing so.
The Council of Governors expressed its satisfaction with Sonko's decision and stated that he had exercised his proper constitutional mandate.
It urged the county assembly to process the nominee as soon as possible to ensure that service delivery does not come to a standstill.
"We urge the county Assembly to process the nominee in accordance with their mandate as enshrined in the law so as to allow normalcy in the county and continued service delivery," the statement read.
The COG's move comes barely a day after the Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi and ousted majority leader Abdi Guyo held a private meeting with a view to rallying members of the county assembly to institute impeachment motion against Sonko.
“We want to tell Nairobians that the era of corruption, nepotism, intimidation, favouritism, and victimization is history in the Nairobi County Government,” a joint statement after the meeting announced.
Sonko's decision to appoint a deputy caused a stir, with DPP Noordin Haji accusing him of going against his bail terms, which barred him from executing his duty as a governor until a corruption case against him is heard and determined.
"Sonko cannot purport to have the powers to name a deputy while his case is still active. His action is null and void," Haji warned on January 6.
