NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 26 – A section of Nairobi councillors took to the streets on Friday pushing for the resignation of Mayor Geoffrey Majiwa over the cemetery scandal.
The civic leaders presented a petition to the office of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government Musalia Mudavadi in which they demanded that Mr Majiwa vacates office within 10 days.
Led by nominated councilor Mutunga Mutungi, the councilors who carried a coffin on the streets said that strong action on the mayor will ensure zero tolerance on corruption at City Hall.
“As Nairobians, we do not have farms. That is why we are petitioning the honorable Deputy Prime Minister because we have an obligation to give our burial land to the people of this City,” he stated.
Mr Mutungi said should the petition be ignored, they will mobilise Kenyans in a bid to pile more pressure on the government.
“We will still go back to our people who are rate payers and actually tell them that the Deputy Prime Minister is not taking action and we need them to act,” he explained. “Since they are the rate payers, we will come up with a decision which might entail them being asked not to pay their rates until action is taken.”
Acting Local Government Permanent Secretary Francis Musyimi received the petition and said that the ministry would look into it.
“We have received your memorandum and this means the message will be conveyed to the Deputy Prime Minister,” he stated.
The councillors invoked section 53 B (1) of the Local Government Act in a bid to disqualify Mr Majiwa in the light of his alleged direct involvement in the cemetery scandal.
Kasarani ward councillor John Njoroge said that the resignation of the Mayor would restore the public’s confidence in the council. He stressed the need for the council to urgently undertake any acquisition of land in an open and transparent manner in a bid to cancel out the mistakes that have bedeviled it.
Mr Majiwa has always maintained that he will not resign despite being implicated in a cemetery land purchase scandal in which more than Sh259 million was fraudulently paid out.
He instead accused the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission of breaking into his house and stealing personal documents.
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