- Ng'ondi who was being backed by MCAs allied to the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition got 71 votes against Robow's 57 in the first round.
- "Having won with the majority, I declare Kennedy Ng’ondi as the next Nairobi assembly speaker," clerk Edward Gichana said after the second round of voting.
Image: WILFRED NYANGARESI
Former Kware MCA Kennedy Ng’ondi was on Thursday elected speaker of the Nairobi assembly.
He edged out his rival Hassan Robow after two rounds of voting.
Ng'ondi, who was backed by MCAs allied to the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition, got 71 votes against Robow's 57 in the first round.
That forced a second round of voting, given no contender had attained the required two-thirds for a first round win.
Ng'ondi was declared winner after polling 68 votes against Robow's 55 in the second round, where one requires simple majority.
He was sworn in to become the fourth speaker after his predecessor Benson Mutura.
"Having won with the majority, I declare Kennedy Ng’ondi as the next Nairobi assembly speaker," clerk Edward Gichana said after the second round of voting.
The clerk consequently ordered the sergeant-at-arms to search for Ng’ondi and present him to the assembly.
He took the oath of office, signed a certificate and immediately assumed his role as speaker.
In his speech after taking oath of office, Ng’ondi urged MCAs to deliver to the electorate, adding that he is committed to taking Nairobi to the desired, capital city standards.
His first order of business, was to oversee the swearing-in of his deputy speaker.
The election process was however marred with chaos when Azimio and Kenya Kwanza affiliated MCAs confronted each other before the first round of voting started.
This was after a section of UDA members raised concerns over the placement of the voting booths.
Ngara MCA Chege Mwaura said the ballot boxes were placed in a manner that would allow the legislators to see how the voting process will be done.
Umoja One MCA Mark Mugambi said the placement of the boxes breeches secrecy.
Makongeni MCA Peter Imwatok of Azimio however bashed his counterparts arguing that the ballot boxes had been placed where they were in the past election.
Kilimani MCA Moses Ogeto said the issues raised by their counterparts are not legislative and are not anchored in the standing orders.
Clerk Gichana directed the sergeants-at-arms to place the ballot boxes in the right position.
The sergeants confirmed the ballot boxes were empty before the voting started.
The ballot boxes are placed on the right and left sides of the floor of the house.
A section of Nairobi leaders led by Senator Edwin Sifuna, Woman MP Esther Passaris and Kamukunji MP Yussuf Hassan were present at the speaker’s gallery and witnessed the drama.
Others were Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang, Starehe MP Amos Mwago, Langata MP Felix Odwiour and Makadara MP George Aladwa.
Prior to the election, all the 123 Nairobi MCAs were sworn into office.
They are meant to be 124 MCAs serving in the third Nairobi assembly, but Utawala ward is yet to elect their MCA.
Clerk Gichana administered the oath of office to MCAs in alphabetical order using the following order of precedence.
Longest serving MCAs were given first priority starting with Mihang’o MCA Paul Kados and Kariobangi South MCA Robert Mbatia.
The MCAs were allowed to use both Kiswahili and English.
Following the taking of oath and swearing-in of the speaker, political parties will now appoint their representatives in the assembly.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)