Wrangles have hit the Minority side of the Nairobi county assembly following leaders changes that were made early last week.
MCAs from both ODM and Wiper parties have opposed the changes saying it amounts to dictatorship. They cited lack of consultations.
Karen MCA David Mberia was replaced as Minority leader and his position given to Embakasi's Michael Ogada.
Hospital MCA Patrick Musili was also replaced as deputy Minority leader with Melab Atema (nominated). Musili is a member of Wiper and Mberia was elected on an ODM ticket.
In other changes, Nairobi West MCA Maurice Gari was replaced as the representative of the Minority side in the County Assembly Service Board. His place was given to nominated MCA Catherine Okoth.
Makongeni's MCA Peter Imwatok and his Kilimani counterpart Moses Ogeto however retained their positions as Minority Chief Whip and Deputy Minority Chief Whip respectively.
Nasa MCAs are now up in arms over the changes. ODM members led by Imara Daima's Kennedy Obuya said they will not allow dictatorship to ruin the assembly.
“We are not fighting the party but we are against the process that was used to remove our colleagues from their positions. It was against the party’s constitution and members were not consulted,” Obuya said on Thursday
Dandora IV MCA Francis Ngesa faulted party officials whom he said were engaging in divisive politics. He called on the party's top organ to intervene.
"We were not given a voice, we have standing orders that guide us… We are now more divided than ever because we have divisive politics and we shall not allow that. It’s high time the top party leadership intervenes," Ngesa said.
Jared Okode (Mathare North) and David Okello (Huruma) said the wrangles should be resolved before the assembly resumes its sittings next month.
The Wiper party has also raised concerns over the manner in which Musili was replaced.
Wiper chairman for Nairobi county Roy Kivusyu accused ODM of violating the Nasa coalition agreement which stipulates that the position be given to a member of the Wiper party.
"ODM must respect Wiper, we can’t understand why a single party can afford to share all the seven positions in the assembly and ignore Wiper and we are one coalition. We will not allow ODM to bully us," Kivusyu said Thursday.
Musili faulted his removal saying it violated procedures.
“For leaders to be removed from office, there must be a meeting held and attended by two-thirds of members of Nasa. There also must be minutes of the meeting and signatures of the two-thirds of members, but this did not happen,” he said.
ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna however defended the changes, saying they had a parliamentary group meeting with all party MCAs together with the Nairobi leadership led by chairman George Aladwa during which the changes were agreed upon.
Sifuna said Musili was removed because members showed no confidence in him and "decided to remove him."
‘‘We don’t speak for Wiper party but what I can say is that the honourable members said they no longer have faith in him and if he feels that he has votes then let him demonstrate that," Sifuna said on Thursday.
At the centre of the wrangles is a fallout between the Minority leader and the Minority Chief Whip with Mberia having initiated a process to replace Peter Imwatok.
In a letter dated August 18, addressed to Speaker Benson Mutura, Mberia said he had received complaints about Imwatok and had come to a resolution to remove him from his Minority Chief Whip position.
“I am in receipt of complaints of a grave nature from the membership of the party at the county assembly regarding the conduct of the Minority whip, Peter Imwatok. Attached are minutes of a meeting held on July 2, where his removal was discussed leading to the collection of signatures,” Mberia's letter said.
On August 6, ODM's Nairobi county chairman George Aladwa said he had received complaints about the conduct of Imwatok with MCAs claiming the Makongeni MCA had become a bully. Aladwa said Imwatok had disrespected the Minority leader.
However, Deputy Minority Whip Moses Ogeto in a letter addressed to the speaker, urged him to ignore Mberia's letter, saying the Karen MCA went against standing orders on the removal process.
“The letter (by Mberia) is self-defeating, ill-timed, counterproductive, immaterial and a malicious afterthought to standing order number 21 with respect to the removal of minority party leaders. Accordingly, ODM party requests that you ignore the said communication,” Ogeto's letter said.
Edited by P.O
