Impeachment motion against Nakuru Roads executive Lucy Kariuki flops

Ward reps houting on the floor of Nakuru County Assembly after an impeachment motion against Infrastructure executive Lucy Kariuki was adjourned by Speaker Joel Maina Kairu after the MCAs became unruly on July 11, 2019. PHOTO | FRANCIS MUREITHI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Trouble started when Speaker Kairu ruled that the members vote via a secret ballot.

  • The ruling ignited a shouting match in the House.

An impeachment motion against embattled Nakuru County executive for Infrastructure Lucy Wanjiku Kariuki was adjourned on Thursday after a disagreement on voting method.

However, Ms Kariuki is not out of the woods yet as the motion will continue on the floor of the House on July 16.

Following chaos in the House, Speaker Joel Maina Kairu was forced to invoke standing order 110 (1) to adjourn the motion to next week.

The standing order reads in part: “In the event of grave disorder arising in the assembly, the Speaker may adjourn the Assembly forthwith or suspend any sitting for a period to be determined by him or her.”

SECRET BALLOT

Trouble started when Speaker Kairu, who incidentally survived an impeachment motion last year, ruled that the members vote via a secret ballot.

“I faced an impeachment motion last year and you members exercised your democratic rights through secret ballot, therefore the secret balloting is the fairest method to determine the outcome of this motion,” ruled Mr Kairu.

However, this ruling did not go down well with a section of the MCAs who were keen to send Ms Kariuki home.

The ruling ignited a shouting match in the house, throwing the motion by an ad-hoc committee chaired by Kaptembwo Ward Rep Peter Mwamba Kajwang into total confusion.

Some of the ward reps led by nominated MCAs Zaituni Zainab, Elizabeth Gichuki, Joyce Anyiso and Susan Njuguna among others danced on the floor of the House with some mocking their colleagues by singing, “Lucy must stay! Lucy must stay!

CHAOS

Led by Majority Leader and Elementaita MCA Moses Ndung’u Kamau, those supporting the removal of Ms Kariuki demanded that the voting be done by queuing.

The MCAs started queuing in front of the mace and as efforts to call the House to order by the Speaker fell on deaf ears.

As the shouting match intensified, two assembly orderlies grabbed the mace and hurriedly whisked the Speaker out of the Assembly as the MCAs supporting Ms Kariuki danced on the floor of the House.

 “Speaker Kairu has killed this motion and we are not happy,” shouted Elementaita Ward Rep Moses Ndung’u Kamau.

MCAs led by former Majority Leader Stanley Karanja insisted that the voting should be done by secret ballot.

“If they have the numbers, why are they afraid of secret balloting?” posed Mr Karanja.

He dismissed the report by the ad-hoc committee as shoddy and full of loopholes.

Ms Kariuki, who appeared before the committee on Wednesday, denied the accusations leveled against her which included of incompetence and abuse of office.