Nyaoga and his team presented the report to the President in Mombasa. Photo/ PSCU
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 6 – President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday found that no sufficient grounds exist for the suspension of the Makueni county government and county assembly as recommended by the commission he appointed to look into a residents’ petition calling for their dissolution.
In a press statement, President Kenyatta’s spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said the President felt the reasons put forward for the suspension did not warrant it.
“Such circumstances must be exceptional and extraordinary for the exercise of the power to extinguish an elected government,” he explained.
The President, Esipisu stated, felt that while there was a demonstrated, “alarming and deplorable litany of failures,” they could be addressed by less drastic action.
“The President reaffirms that our Constitutional, legal and political architecture provide sufficient alternative mechanisms to deal with maladministration, corruption and ineptitude.”
Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana had supported dissolution blaming, “rogue MCAs,” for paralysing his government.
The, “alarming and deplorable litany of failures,” that led the Mohamed Nyaoga commission to recommend suspension by a vote of 5-1 include:
“A 2013/14 budget crisis occasioned by the failure by the Assembly and Executive to pass the county budget for at least five months, 14 foreign trips MCAs made in the same financial year using re-allocated funds and a gunfight within the precincts of the county assembly where five people were shot and injured, including the sergeant-at-arms and Governor’s chief of staff.”
President Kenyatta appointed the Nyaoga commission on February 10 as outlined in the County Government Act, 2012 on receipt of approval from the apex inter-governmental body.
READ: Nyaoga commission starts Makueni probe Thursday
He sought approval from the the Intergovernmental Summit on receipt of a petition which the Independent and Electoral and Boundaries Commission verified was signed by no less than 10 percent of those registered to vote in Makueni.
READ: IEBC okays signatures in Makueni dissolution bid
Had he found it justifiable to suspend the county assembly and executive, President Kenyatta would have sent it onto the Senate for a vote.
Having the Senate’s endorsement, he would have appointed an interim management board to fill in the vacuum until Senate either lifted the suspension or an election was held.
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