Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko Impeached

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko drinking from a Hennessy Whisky bottle during his Senate hearing on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko drinking from a Hennessy-branded Whisky bottle during his Senate hearing on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.
File

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has been impeached.

A total of 88 MCAs out of 122 voted for the impeachment of the Governor on Thursday, December 3, achieving the two-thirds majority (82) required by the constitution.

Sonko was impeached over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.

He is said have earlier flown at least 38 MCAs to Kwale in a bid to counter the impeachment motion.

Inside the Nairobi County Assembly chambers.
Inside the Nairobi County Assembly chambers.
Capital Group

The county boss had a strategy to ensure more than a third of Nairobi MCAs were out of Nairobi at the time of the motion, which would have effectively denied the impeachment the two-thirds majority needed for it to pass. 

The plan, however, fell apart after Nairobi County speaker Benson Mutura called for voting to be conducted through a video link so that all MCAs would participate.

Shortly after, MCAs allied to the governor rushed to the Kwale Police Station to report that their accounts on the video link platform had been hacked.

In a series of tweets shortly after his impeachment, Sonko claimed that 70 MCAs had recorded statements claiming that they were impersonated by rogue Assembly officials.

"As we continue with efforts to defeat the impeachment motion at the County Assembly, it’s unfortunate that those behind the scheme to bring me down have resorted to intimidation and dirty tricks to achieve their selfish interests.

"This morning over 70 Nairobi City County Assembly MCAs have filed a complaint with police on impersonation of their emails by rogue Assembly officials who want to interfere with online voting of the impeachment motion which is set for debate this afternoon," stated the governor.

The Speaker of the County Assembly has seven days to submit the resolution to impeach Governor Sonko to the Senate.

The Senate will then vote to either uphold the impeachment charges or dismiss it. If acquitted, Sonko will resume his duties as Nairobi Governor, but if the decision is upheld, the governor will be deemed to have lost bis seat.

Upon losing his seat, the Speaker of Nairobi County Assembly will take over Nairobi leadership for 60 days within which the IEBC has to organise and hold a by-elections for the replacement.

Sonko joins former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu who was impeached in December 2019.

A photo of the entrance to City hall, Nairobi
A photo of the entrance to City Hall, Nairobi.
Photo
Nairobi City County
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