The fate of Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja who was impeached by the county assembly now lies in the hands of an 11-member senate committee.
This is after the county assembly forwarded its decision to the senate despite a court order barring the county assembly from forwarding its decision to the Senate pending the outcome of a case in which the governor is challenging his impeachment.
The MCA’s have accused the governor of among others gross misconduct, misleading the county assembly, misappropriation of funds and inciting the public against the county assembly.
Governor Samboja becomes the 4th governor to face an impeachment motion before the senate after the county assembly forwarded its decision to impeach him to the senate.
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Senate is now seized of the matter which is also a subject of a judicial process after the governor moved to court and obtained an injunction blocking the county assembly from forwarding its decision to the senate.
A matter that triggered an exchange between the deputy speaker Kithure Kindiki and Homabay senator Moses Kajwang.
Siaya senator James Orengo argued the senate was not privy to the court injunction blocking it from proceeding with the matter as no order had been forwarded to the senate. Senators called for objectivity in debating the impeachment motion.
At the same time, the senate endorsed an 11-member committee to investigate the claims against the governor and file its report within 10 days.
Among those in the committee are senators George Khaniri Achillo Ayako, Naomi waqo, Njeru Ndwiga, Aron Cheruiyot, Charles Kibiru Boniface Kabaka, Beatrice kwamboka, and Agnes Zani.
The Taita Taveta county boss is accused of gross misconduct, misleading the county assembly, misappropriation of funds, stalled projects, misrepresentation of facts to the public with the aim of inciting the public against MCA’s.
The move now puts the senate on a direct collision course with the senate even as the governor will be accorded a forum to defend himself before the committee.
