In Summary
•During the first attempt to impeach Sonko, the Labour and Employment court temporarily stopped the process until due process was followed.
•Justice Byrum Ongaya directed that the county assembly adheres to standing orders 67 and 72 which had to do with the substantive clerk verification of the signatures collected.
The second attempt to impeach Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko might not have come as a surprise to many.
Chronicles of events had hinted that the impeachment plane was scheduled to take off any time soon.
A Jubilee MCA who sought anonymity told the Star that this time round Sonko might not survive the impeachment as it was a done and sealed deal.
“His refusal to give NMS funds has angered many,” the MCA said.
The legislator said that many had to sign the impeachment motion for refusing to append their signature would amount to “political suicide’.
A close ally to Sonko said that the governor had touched a live wire with ‘big shots” and the impeachment was brought to tame him.
“Sonko is not a mad man to refuse to release funds,” the City Hall officer said.
During the first attempt to impeach Sonko, the Labour and Employment court temporarily stopped the process until due process was followed.
Justice Byrum Ongaya directed that the county assembly adheres to standing orders 67 and 72 which had to do with the substantive clerk verification of the signatures collected.
Sonko himself had had hinted that impeachment waves were still following him and was unfazed.
“Jail me! There’s life in prison. Impeach me! There’s life after politics. Kill,” Sonko said on November 16.
This was after he appeared before the Senate health committee to answer queries based on the Health status of the city and vowed to never give NMS funds.
In the FY 2020-21 Sh 37.5 billion budget, the assembly allocated NMS Sh27.1 billion and Sonko’s administration Sh8.4 billion; whereby Sh2 billion goes to the assembly.
Sonko rejected the budget and sent it back to the assembly with a memorandum which was equally rejected by MCAs.
Upon expiry of seven days the bill became an act, but Sonko vowed not to release funds to NMS.
The County boss claimed that NMS – despite being formed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to execute four core county functions he handed over to the National Government in February – is an “illegal and amorphous outfit that does not exist in the Constitution”.
It was at this juncture that Sonko said he will not give into intimidation or blackmail and vowed he will not give NMS funds. “The dark days are over. We will not allow anybody to breach the law. Personally going forward, I will not allow any intimidation from anyone.”
“But there’s no amount of intimidation that will be used against me to force me to breach the law by giving funds to an illegal entity,” he said.
The Governor made it clear that he will not fall for “orders from above, noting that the only orders he fears should be from God. “From the ashes, we came, and to the ashes, we shall return and only God has power over that,” Sonko said.
This week, three MCAs affiliated with Sonko were summoned by the Jubilee party after being accused of disregarding party positions in various matters.
At the center of the summonses is the much-contested Nairobi City County Appropriation Bill, 2020 that had been earlier rejected by Governor Sonko.
One of the summoned MCAs, Silvia Museiya, had told the Star that the impeachment plan was a way to “punish” the governor for his refusal to release the Sh27.3 billion funds to the Nairobi Metropolitan Service.
“ The whole issue is centered around the budget and it has annoyed a lot of people,” she said.
Sonko publicly taken President Uhuru Kenya head on in matters related to NMS.
He has also accused Uhuru’s circle, referring them as “State House Cartels” and of micro-managing NMS in order to siphon cash.
Sonko alleged the officers are controlling mega-tenders including the ongoing construction of 23 health facilities and a Sh250 million per month contract for supply of fruits at Mbagathi Hospital.
Sonko in one of his recent posts referred to The President as “Nairobi Super Governor who is also the President of the Republic of Kenya and commander in chief of Defence forces.”
He also referred to NMS Director General Mohammed Badi as “Saddam Hussein”.
Sonko has accused cartels of hijacking the deed of transfer, in order to make him and his administration suffer.
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