Assembly Speaker Onyango Oloo announced that the gazette notice was not issued barring them from going ahead with the session/FILE – GOV.UK
KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 7 – The Kisumu County Assembly on Wednesday shelved a planned sitting to debate a censure motion against the County Executive Committee Member for Finance Nerry Achar, after government printer failed to gazette the sitting.
Assembly Speaker Onyango Oloo announced that the gazette notice was not issued barring them from going ahead with the session.
Addressing a press conference flanked by a section of MCAs, Oloo said the Assembly forwarded the request on time for Wednesday to be gazetted as a special sitting.
He said the Assembly leadership did not get an explanation over the delayed gazettement of the special sitting.
“I had sought to gazette today as a sitting day and pursuant to that on 2nd of August 2019 I did forward my gazettment notice to the government printers together with the letter of the Clerk,” he said.
The postponement of the sitting came even as the Assembly was served with a court order halting any deliberations on the impeachment motion.
This is after Achar moved to Labour Court in Nairobi and obtained the orders restraining the Assembly from discussing him until the matter is heard and determined.
Oloo confirmed receipt of the court order noting that it also contributed further to failure to have a sitting on Wednesday.
“A day earlier that is yesterday, the Assembly was served with a court order from the said CEC Nerry Achar restraining us from implementing the proceedings arising from the motion of impeachment,” he said.
Achar (pictured) failed to appear before 16-member ad hoc committee to respond to allegations that were leveled against him/FILE – COURTESY
The Speaker however accused Achar of sabotaging a genuine legislative process by moving to court despite declining to appear before an ad hoc committee that was set up to investigate him.
He said County Assembly lawyers will appear before the Labour Court on Monday when the matter will be mentioned.
Kajulu MCA Roy Samo who flanked Oloo said Achar had the best opportunity to appear before the committee to absolve himself from the allegations leveled against him.
Samo said running to the Judiciary will only be short lived telling Achar that the process will continue.
“Then you run to the court so that you think the court will help you, that will not happen and we are telling our honorable Governor (Prof. Anyang Nyong’o) that as soon as this matter is done with on Friday, Achar is as good as gone,” he said.
The Assembly is set to meet on Friday to discuss the county’s budget with reports indicating that members will seek to introduce the impeachment motion for debate.
The mover of the impeachment motion, Kolwa East MCA Steve Owiti, noted that the Assembly will continue to disregard Achar as the CEC Finance until he appears before the committee constituted to probe him.
“Whatever documents he brings here, whatever any information he brings here shall not be admissible in this Assembly because he has disregarded this Assembly, we shall also disregard him,” he said.
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