Activist withdraws petition seeking CS Fred Matiang'i's removal
Acting Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i. He says it is government's responsibility to maintain law and order. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Njenga had on August 11 petitioned parliament to throw the CS out citing 10 grounds among them incompetence and violation of the Constitution.
- He told Nation.co.ke on Wednesday that his decision to withdraw the petition was as a result of various consultation forums held between ICTAK and Dr Matiang’i.
A petition to the National Assembly seeking the removal of a Cabinet Secretary has been withdrawn.
The petitioner, Adrian Kamotho Njenga, said he wished to drop the petition to remove from office Information, Communication and Technology Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i following consultations.
Mr Njenga, who is the general secretary of the Information Communication and Technology Association of Kenya (ICTAK) on August 11 petitioned Parliament to throw the CS out, citing 10 grounds, among them incompetence and violation of the Constitution.
But in his withdrawal letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Justin Bundi, the petitioner said that he was no longer interested in pursuing the matter since “the grounds that had been variously advanced in the petition have been drastically diminished.”
“Since the petition was solely driven by a desire to uphold the Constitution and in good faith, it is my humble prayer that the petition be terminated in light of the emergent facts that significantly suppress the justification for the petition,” he said.
IMPEACHMENT MOTION DROPPED
The minister survived another attempt to remove him from office two months ago, when MPs dropped an impeachment motion alongside the one for his Devolution counterpart Anne Waiguru.
The Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) had opposed Mr Njenga’s petition and asked for its withdrawal. Cofek instead asked the minister to employ lawyers and experts who would advise him on ICT matters.
Mr Njenga’s petition came a week after the High Court quashed the appointments to the Information Communication Authority board set up by Dr Matiang’i. Mr Njenga had sued on behalf of ICTAK.
He told Nation.co.ke on Wednesday that his decision to withdraw the petition arose from various consultation forums held between ICTAK and Dr Matiang’i.
“We agreed in principle to drop the petition and all other litigious matters for the sake of the industry.
“We also have had very candid and consensus-building meetings with the minister and we hope to work together to grow the industry,” he said, adding that there was no 'arm-twisting' involved in dropping the petition.
