A battle is looming within the ODM leadership at the Nairobi County Assembly as Minority Whip Peter Imwatok is under siege and critics want him out.
Some ODM legislators say they have no confidence in his leadership.
Imwatok, who is the Makongeni MCA, is being accused of tarnishing the party's name to advance his 'selfish interests' in unspecified deals.
The falling out has gone so deep that the plaque bearing his name on his office door has been scraped off.
But Imwatok says it's all a witch-hunt because he has always been at the forefront, exposing corruption at City Hall. He has denied any wrongdoing and said he always has had the county's best interests at heart.
“I don’t remember how and when I became corrupt. As far as I can remember, it's immediately I exposed the corrupt at City Hall. As you know, the guiding creed for me is 'the truth, no matter what'," he said.
Highrise MCA Kennedy Oyugi, who is collecting signatures to remove him, said 32 MCAs had signed by Monday.
ODM has 56 MCAs; at least two-thirds are required to sign a removal petition for it to be tabled and voted on.
“From the inception of the assembly, he (Imwatok) has been fighting every leader at the county. Is he the only angel in the county? There must be something wrong with him and as a party, we are not going to condone corruption,” Oyugi said.
He claimed the Minority whip has been intimidating executives and that he is a wheeler-dealer in the county government using ODM's name.
Imwatok told those behind the removal effort to present evidence against him to investigative agencies. He said he was ready to fight his enemies as he has never lost a battle.
If the removal petition reaches the two-thirds threshold, it will be forwarded to the speaker of the assembly, along with minutes of the meeting where the resolution was made to remove him as whip.
Then the ODM party will make changes in the Minority leadership.
The last change took place in August last year when Embakasi MCA Michael Ogada was appointed the new Minority leader, replacing Karen MCA David Mberia.
Nominated MCA Mellab Atema replaced Hospital Ward MCA Patrick Musili of Wiper as the deputy minority leader.
Imwatok and his deputy, Kilimani MCA Moses Ogeto, retained their positions.
(Edited by V. Graham)
