Makueni residents set for fresh polls as bid to dissolve county govt gets nod

Voters in Makueni County will have to go back to the ballot box to pick a new governor and members of the county assembly.

This development follows a meeting between President Kenyatta and the Council of Governors, known as the Summit, where participants unanimously supported a memorandum signed by Makueni residents calling for the dissolution of the county government due to incessant wrangles that have crippled its operations.

The meeting, chaired by President Kenyatta, resolved that a commission be set up to investigate the petition by Makueni voters to send Governor Kivutha Kibwana and the ward representatives home.

But the President will only pick the commission after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has verified the names of the 50,826 residents who petitioned him over the dissolution of the county, a bulletin from the Presidential Strategic Communications Unit noted.

GROUNDS FOR DISSOLUTION

The commission will establish whether there are enough grounds to warrant the dissolution of the county government.

President Kenyatta confirmed that his office had handed over the petition to the IEBC for verification.

The formation of the commission is in line with Section 123 of the Constitution.

Mr Kenyatta was of the view that the residents of Makueni and the county government explore all avenues of reconciliation “so that we do not set a trend that destabilises counties”.

But Prof Kibwana said all attempts at peace and harmony had failed and the people of Makueni “should be given an opportunity to elect a county government of their choice”.

Council of Governors chairman Isaac Ruto said the attempts by the governors to make peace had also not borne fruit.

Multiple sources, who attended the meeting, said it had been resolved that the electoral commission move with speed to initiate the process of dissolving the troubled county government in line with the wishes of Makueni residents.

“We were all unanimous, including Kibwana himself, that we respect the wishes of the Makueni people and dissolve the county government because as matters stand, everything has come to a standstill, the government is unable to deliver services and the people are suffering,” said a governor from the Rift Valley region who sought anonymity because he does not speak on behalf of President Kenyatta, who chaired the meeting.

TROUBLED COUNTY

The impending dissolution of the troubled county government had been listed as one of the main items on the agenda of the meeting but was only discussed at the end of the meeting.

Residents had submitted a memorandum calling for its dissolution following serious differences between the governor on one side and Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr and some members of the county assembly on the other.

The wrangles have sucked in Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, whom Prof Kibwana, his Machakos counterpart Alfred Mutua and Kitui Governor Julius Malombe accuse of being behind the rifts in the three Ukambani counties.

The meeting on Monday was a routine one that brings together the President, Deputy President William Ruto and the 47 governors to consult on matters affecting the national and county governments.

A similar meeting held on May 20, 2014 had discussed the devolution of roads funding, the depletion of forest cover in Kenya, the Public Benefits Organisation Act of 2013 and enhanced working relationships.