Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has slammed President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over the botched bid to impeach Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
Speaking during a media briefing, Ruth Odinga said the intervention by Ruto and Raila Odinga eroded devolution principles, stressing that MCAs hold the constitutional authority to perform oversight.
“The issue of devolution and one of the main tenets of devolution is that the MCAs are overseers of the county governments, and therefore the fact that the MCAs of Nairobi came out to oversee and say that they had no confidence in the governor of Nairobi should have been recognized, and nothing should have been done,” Ruth said.
She voiced her disappointment in both the national leaders and Nairobi MCAs, accusing them of betraying the trust of Nairobi voters.
Ruth Odinga Faults Raila and Ruto
In her address, Ruth pointed out that the Nairobi MCAs had presented valid concerns that should have been handled through the established legal and institutional channels.
She added that the MCAs should have adhered to due process to uphold devolution, which assigns them the vital responsibility of keeping governors in check.
“I am disappointed by the path the Nairobi MCAs chose. They should have allowed the process to take its course and safeguarded devolution, which clearly mandates MCAs as the key overseers of the governor,” Ruth said.
“They should have been allowed to go through with that petition and I tell the Nairobi MCAs that they should have continued with their process, so that in case they feel wronged, let them impeach him, let him go to the senate, let the senate then say whether he’s right or not, but to stop the process when there were already grievances.”
Ruth Odinga stressed the importance of protecting devolution and respecting constitutional processes.
“I am somebody who is a believer in devolution and oversight, and therefore, for me, I feel disappointed in what the Nairobi MCAs have done.”
Also Read: Why Sakaja Must Go, Babu Owino Remains Defiant
Sakaja’s Impeachment Case Suspended
On September 2, President Ruto and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga intervened in the planned impeachment of Governor Johnson Sakaja, holding parallel talks with Nairobi MCAs.
After the consultations, ODM Nairobi Chairperson George Aladwa confirmed that the motion had been dropped to pave the way for unity and cooperation among city leaders.
“We have held a meeting with Azimio MCAs and agreed that the impeachment motion be dropped so that Nairobi leaders can sit together and work in unity for the people of Nairobi,” said George Aladwa.
“As ODM leaders, we have given Sakaja one month to sit down with the MCAs and agree on how they will work together.”
Also Read: Sakaja Justifies Ksh9.2B Budget Amid Probe Into Nairobi’s Water Losses
Nairobi MCAs Grievances
Nairobi MCAs laid out a list of grievances they argued provided solid grounds for Governor Sakaja’s impeachment.
The ward representatives had already collected the required signatures and accused him of excluding them from decision-making and rolling out development projects without their input.
In addition, the ward representatives demanded accountability on the management of the Ward Development Fund, questioning both the amounts allocated and how they were spent. They also raised concerns about the fairness and transparency of bursary allocations and the criteria used to select beneficiaries.
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