The planned impeachment Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia continues to gain opposition with Makadara MP George Aladwa joining the growing list of lawmakers opposed to the ouster bid.
The ODM Nairobi County branch chairman said that the impeachment motion by Nyali MP Mohamed Ali is not well intended but borne out of malice and therefore “dead on arrival”.
CENSURE MOTION
He claimed the censure motion is the work of some disgruntled players within Jubilee Party hellbent on sabotaging President Uhuru Kenyatta’s development agenda with CS Macharia the fall guy since he holds a crucial docket.
“We have in the past witnessed motions that are brought to the House either to serve the interest of sponsors who may not be members of parliament or to blackmail public officers into towing a certain line. Perhaps this one falls in that category,” said Aladwa.
Last week Friday, Ali filed a petition seeking to impeach Macharia over alleged gross misconduct and violation of the Constitution.
In the petition signed by 90 legislators, the first-time MP accused the CS of overseeing stalled government projects worth Sh100 billion and being part of the Afya House scandal that saw taxpayers lose Sh5.2 billion in 2016 when he was the Health CS.
The petition further claimed that CS Macharia has relegated transport stakeholders in the implementation of the directive to have all cargo from Mombasa Port transported through the Standard Gauge Railway hence causing public suffering.
STRONG OPPOSITION
However, the petition was met with strong opposition from a section of MPs from Mt Kenya region led by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, Murang’a County Women Representative Sabina Chege and Mathioya MP Peter Kimari who said the impeachment bid has no basis, vowing to defeat it on the floor of the House.
Mr Aladwa has also laughed off the claims by the Nyali MP maintaining that as ODM MPs from Nairobi, they will continue expressing confidence in the work of the Transport CS and the president’s Big Four Agenda in the spirit of Handshake.
“CS Macharia is one of public servants who have given their all to serve their country and thus we cannot reward him by unnecessary drama of baseless motions whose agenda is to mudslinging and spoiling his good name,” he said.
Aladwa has called on the Nyali MP to consider withdrawing the motion to avoid the risk of being embarrassed by how the motion will be shot down before the House.
He said that in as much as the MP has every right to bring such a motion, the current move is not well intended asking National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi not to approve the motion especially given that about 50 MPs who had early signed the petition have since withdrawn their signatures.
“However, should he approve it, then I and like-minded MPs will mobilise colleagues to shoot down the motion on the floor of the House,” said the former Nairobi Mayor.
