Siaya County Assembly on Monday, May 29, voted to endorse an impeachment motion against embattled Deputy Governor William Oduol.
The impeachment motion was tabled as the first business of the Assembly, and was thereafter put to a vote by all Members of the County Assembly.
East Asembo Ward MCA Gordon Onguru tabled the motion, which accused Oduol of gross misconduct by working with those he termed as detractors to distablise the county.
A total of 38 MCAs endorsed Oduol's impeachment with no abstention or opposition to the motion that could see Siaya Deputy Governor become the first deputy governor to be impeached after August 2022 General Election.
As a result of the endorsement, Siaya County Assembly formed a 14-member committee to investigate the matter and report back to the house within ten days.
The MCAs who voted in favour of the impeachment motion accused Oduol of working in cahoot with President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Addressing the matter, Speaker George Okode noted that the matter was of great public interest, as such, the committee should give a fair hearing to everyone involved including Oduol himself.
Members of Siaya County Assembly will vote to either impeach or reject the motion after receiving a statement from the 14-member committee.
Oduol on Friday, May 26, claimed that he was facing political turbulence in Siaya County for allegedly rejecting corruption deaLS in which over Ksh100 million had irregularly been withdrawn on imprest.
Once voted upon by the majority of Siaya County Assembly, the matter will move to the Senate where Senators will adjudicate and finally pass a vote.
The Process of Impeaching Deputy Governor
The process of impeaching a Deputy Governor is outlined in Article 181 of the Constitution of Kenya, and the following are the steps involved:
1. A member of the County Assembly may, supported by at least a third of all the members, move a motion for the removal of the governor.
2. The motion must be debated and voted on by the County Assembly. A two-thirds majority vote is required to remove the governor from office.
3. If the motion is successful, the Deputy Governor is suspended from office and a special committee is appointed to investigate the allegations against him or her.
4. The special committee must submit its report to the county assembly within 90 days.
5. The County Assembly then votes on whether to remove the governor from office. A two-thirds majority vote is required to remove the governor from office.
6. If the Deputy Governor is removed from office, the Governor will be allowed to appoint a new Deputy.
