NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 18 – Nairobi Speaker Benson Mutura announced his decision to stand down as Acting Governor on Monday ceding the Office of the Governor to the newly installed Deputy Governor Ann Kananu.
Kananu was installed on Friday after she was vetted by a 10-member appointments panel in a session that lasted barely an hour.
The Deputy Governor had been nominated in January 2020 by then Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko who was later impeached in December 2020.
Kananu was not however vetted after a court suspended proceeding to consider the nomination pending the determination of a suit challenging Sonko’s decision.
Her impending inauguration as Governor is part of an elaborate scheme to evade a by-election under Article 182 (5) which requires the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Election (IEBC) to hold a by-election within sixty days of the Speaker’s assumption as Acting Governor.
Mutura explained that the handover was occasioned by the swearing of a substantive Deputy Governor for Nairobi County quoting Article 182 (2) of the Constitution.
The County Assembly Speaker said he was proud of what he achieved within the period he served as an Acting Governor, terming the resolution of a budget stalemate which had stalled county operations and denied Nairobi Metropolitan Services funding as a milestone during his short stint.
“I relinquish my acting as Governor of Nairobi County and resume my duties as the Speaker of Nairobi county assembly, I am happy that the few realignments we have effected in the County public service have restored faith in Nairobians,” he said.
Kananu will continue serving as a DG awaiting the Assumption of Office Committee to finalize the process of confirming her as the substantive Governor.
The Deputy Governor pledged to work for the benefit or Nairobi residents, also affirming close working relationship with the Nairobi Metropolitan Services.
“I affirm that I will lead from the front, am not a politician and I will not become one I am focused on collaboration, partnership and mutual respect with all organs of government,” she said.
About The Author
