The vetting of four Vihiga county assembly executives has been suspended by the High Court in Kakamega.
Governor Wilbur Ottichilo had proposed the names and forwarded to the assembly for vetting.
The four are Jairus Amayi, Nancy Abisai,Wilberforce Kitiezo and Nicholas Mwandihi.
The quartet were to be vetted on December 14, 2021 to replace four executives who were impeached by the assembly and eventually sacked by Governor Wilber Ottichilo.
Ottichilo had proposed Abisai (Lands and Physical Planning), Mwandihi (Health Services), Kitiezo (County Public Service) and Amayi (Agriculture, Livestock and Co-operatives).
The four were to replace Pamela Kimwele (Public Service) Paul Mbuni (Urban Planning) Kenneth Kiseko (Trade) and Amos Kutwa (Health), who are currently battling a court case.
The court order from Justice Farah Amin urged the assembly to suspend the vetting process until the pending case is heard.
Vihiga county assembly clerk Ambaka Kilinga said the process was suspended until the case is determined.
“Governor Ottichilo, speaker Hasna Mudeizi and county secretary Ezekiel Ayiego are expected in court tomorrow December 16, 2021,” Kilinga told the Star on phone.
He said initially they had invited the four for the vetting process, but they were forced to cancel it after the court injunction.
The nomination case comes after the four embattled executives had failed to convince the court why they should be reinstated.
Earlier the High Court had issued orders suspending the sacking of the executives after the assembly had impeached them.
Justice Baari ruled that Ottichilo and the county service board were not compelled to reinstate the executives following suspension orders.
The four moved to the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kisumu to seek superior interpretation of the Vihiga High Court.
Vihiga High Court had ruled that the process of their impeachment by the assembly in June over abuse of office and gross misconduct was illegal.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
