• Chaos broke shortly after MCAs supporting the new impeachment motion were disrupted by their counterparts while addressing the media.
• Earlier on MCAs from both ODM and Jubilee supporting Elachi firmly opposed any impeachment motion of the speaker.
There was drama at the County Assembly of Nairobi on Tuesday as rival city MCAs clashed over an impeachment motion of Speaker Beatrice Elachi.
Chaos broke shortly after MCAs supporting the new impeachment motion were disrupted by their counterparts while addressing the media.
At some point, stones and water bottles were hurled at a section of the Jubilee MCAs forcing them to cut short their press conference.
The pro-Elachi MCAs were chanting, "Elachi must be respected".
Earlier on MCAs from both ODM and Jubilee supporting Elachi firmly opposed any impeachment motion of the speaker.
Nairobi West MCA Maurice said that MCAs affiliated with the ODM party will not be part of the plan to impeach Elachi.
“As a party, we have a stand and as ODM MCAs we are in support of Elachi as the speaker,” he said.
Hamza MCA Mark Ndung’u said that the new County Assembly Service Board was being fought by a few individuals for their own selfish gain.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
He also stated that it was ironical for some Jubilee MCAs to go both against the party as well as Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.
“As you look we have more numbers from both Jubilee and ODM parties and we are in support of Elachi and Governor Sonko,” Ndung’u said.
"As a member of the board, we want change and development in the county and that has stalled for a long time, but change is here."
The pro-Elachi MCAs warned Majority Leader Abdi Hassan to either respect the law and party or step aside.
Embakasi MCA Michael Ogada said that whoever is fighting Elachi is against the handshake brought by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Kariokor MCA Millicent Mugadi said that Elachi supported gender equality and the women in the assembly would stand firmly with her.
“Elachi was brought back by the court and we ask the other members to respect the law,” she said.
Mugadi revealed that she was among the members who were forced last year to sign the impeachment against Elachi.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
“Enough is enough and it is time we have change in the assembly. We need to bring sanity and serve Nairobians we cannot be a city of drama every time,” she said.
However, Jubilee MCAs who are against Elachi said they have already forwarded the impeachment notice of motion to the clerk who will verify the signatures before allocating it.
South B MCA Waithera Chege displayed a court order claiming it had been issued by the Labour and Employment Court barring Elachi from presiding over assembly business.
“We will be present at the plenary session in the afternoon but we will it allow Elachi to preside over it. It will be either the Deputy Speaker or any other member from the speaker’s panel,” she said.
On Monday, a section of Jubilee MCAs launched the fresh bid to impeach Elachi.
At least 67 ward reps signed the motion to remove the speaker who only returned to the assembly two weeks ago following her impeachment in September last year.
Elachi had earlier this month adjourned the assembly sittings.
She said she took the decision to give time for normalcy to return and to allow members to find ways of sorting out existing differences.
Regular sittings are set to resume on Tuesday afternoon after the speaker gazetted the resumption date as October 29.
“We expect to do normal business as usual and we have just had a meeting of the House Business Committee and allocated agenda for the afternoon sitting,” said Elachi.
Elachi had earlier stated that she was ready to work with all MCAs, dismissing claims her return to office owes much to support by ODM MCAs.
Jubilee MCAs, led by Majority Leader Abdi Guyo, claimed that some individuals have planned to cause chaos when the House resumes and called on police IG Hillary Mutyambai to beef up security in the assembly precincts.