Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko relieved after labour court suspend impeachment process

 

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko. FILE

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko gets relief after the Employment and Labour Court temporarily paused the scheduled impeachment.


Justice Nzioki Makau on Tuesday blocked the County Assembly from handling any motion concerning or in connection to the scheduled impeachment by MCA Michael Okumu pending inter parties hearing on Thursday.


Justice Makau prevented the Nairobi County Assembly from considering, tabling for debate, establishing a vote on the motion by Okumu for the dismissal of Mike Sonko as the Governor.

The Governor also sued the Clerk of the Nairobi Assembly, the Speaker, the County Assembly, MCA Peter Imwatok and Okumu.


As per the court documents, over 62 MCAs have affidavits in the case saying they nevermore annexed their signatures to any movement as it is was claimed by Okumu who delivered the impeachment motion.


Via lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui, the Governor contends that Justice Byrum Ongaya previously stopped his impeachment in February this year and the order is still in place.


Kinyanjui says on November 26, the Nairobi County Assembly moved to set in a new motion to illegally and unconstitutionally challenge the governor knowing that the process had been stopped.


The Sonkos' lawyer insists the impeachment motion by MCA Imwatok has not been revoked formally asserting that it’s only the member who gave the notice of who can suppress it which he has not done.


Sonko testifies that he has not been given with an affidavit declaring the integrity of the accusations included in the impeachment motion by the county minority leader as required in the assembly standing orders.


He also maintains that there are not proofs that have been given to him to back the accusations by Okumu.


“This intentional withholding of evidential material by the Speaker and MCA Okumu is an express violation of the Article 10 of the constitution upholding the principle of good governance” Sonko argues.


The lawyer maintains that the County Assembly has no authority to remove the Governor from an elected position using illegal means and avenues.