Taita Taveta Governor has refused to mediate among warrying members of the county assembly.
The governor said his proposal to President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve the county assembly is unstoppable. He wants Taita Taveta residents to append their signatures on the petition.
"The Deputy Governor and executive members are not ready for talks with anybody concerning this process. No one can stop the will of the people to dissolve the county," Samboja said.
The governor said at least 11,000 people had already signed the petition by Thursday.
He targets to get a minimum of 18,000 signatures, representing 10 per cent of the 180,000 registered voters in Taita Taveta before submitting the petition to the President.
However, the Majority leader Jason Tuja said the assembly is not at war with the executive and, therefore, the best way was to resolve the stand-off through dialogue.
Tuja urged the governor to shun divisive politics and embrace diplomacy. Earlier, Taita Taveta Anglican Bishop Liverson Mng’onda called on the two warring parties to reconcile for the sake of development in the county.
Mng’onda asked Governor Samboja to exhaust all avenues of dialogue and mediation before pushing for the county leadership's dissolution.
Taita Taveta Senator Jones Mwaruma and legislators Jones Mlolwa (Voi), Danson Mwashako ( Wundanyi) and Andrew Mwadime (Mwatate) have also reiterated their support for the petition.
Mwaruma told residents to sign the petition that will eventually pave the way for fresh polls.
“We wish to reiterate our support for the petition and call upon all patriotic residents to support the move. Time has come to install sanity in our county,” the leaders said at a press statement to newsrooms.
Samboja launched signature collection exercise on Tuesday, following a budget impasse in the county assembly.
(Edited by P. Wanambisi)
