Turkana County Assembly Speaker Christopher Nakuleu has stepped down from his position just days before a scheduled impeachment motion set for Friday, citing consultations with his constituents as the driving force behind his decision.
The announcement, made Tuesday evening, brings an abrupt end to a tenure marked by mounting tensions with Members of the County Assembly (MCAs).
Nakuleu’s resignation comes amid accusations of gross misconduct, incompetence, and constitutional violations levelled against him by a majority of the assembly’s 46 MCAs.
The impeachment motion, spearheaded by Kalokol Ward MCA Michael Ebenyo, had garnered the support of 36 ward representatives, surpassing the 31-vote threshold required for removal.
The motion, tabled last week, alleged financial mismanagement, nepotism, and hostility toward MCAs, claims Nakuleu had previously dismissed as politically motivated.
In a brief statement, Nakuleu, a former two-term Turkana North MP who assumed the speaker’s role unopposed in 2022, said, “After engaging with my constituents and reflecting on the current circumstances, I have decided to step aside.”
He did not elaborate further on the discussions or address the specific allegations, leaving room for speculation about the pressures behind the move.
The resignation preempts what was shaping up to be a contentious showdown in the assembly. Ebenyo, the motion’s lead proponent, had accused Nakuleu of ballooning the assembly’s staff roster to 402—far exceeding the Commission on Revenue Allocation’s recommended 88—while overseeing a surge in the wage bill since 2022.
Other grievances included public remarks Nakuleu allegedly made at a January burial in Lodwar, branding MCAs as “tenderpreneurs,” which critics said eroded confidence in his leadership.
Reactions to the exit were swift. Supporters hailed Nakuleu’s decision as a graceful retreat, while detractors argued it sidestepped accountability.
Turkana North MP Ekwom Nabuin, who recently condemned the impeachment push as unjust, had claimed some MCAs were bribed to back the ouster, though no evidence has surfaced to substantiate this.
Meanwhile, Lokichar MCA Samuel Lomodo, an opponent of the motion, had questioned the validity of signatures supporting it, hinting at procedural irregularities.
Nakuleu’s departure leaves the assembly without a speaker as it navigates a critical juncture. The County Assembly Service Board is expected to initiate the process of electing a replacement, though no timeline has been confirmed as of Tuesday night.
Political observers note that the vacancy could deepen divisions in Turkana’s legislative body, already strained by governance disputes.
The former speaker, a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) member who lost his parliamentary seat to ODM’s Paul Nabuin in 2022, offered no indication of his next steps.
His resignation caps a tumultuous chapter in Turkana’s devolved politics, with the fallout likely to reverberate as the county prepares for its next assembly session.
