Kisii MCAs on Thursday protested against a fumigation exercise at the county assembly which they said was calculated to scuttle a planned impeachment of speaker David Kombo.
The ward representatives were on Thursday caught off-guard and left stranded as they were not aware of the fumigation.
Police in anti-riot gear quickly moved in and forced out the county lawmakers as they planned to demonstrate. Staffers seconded to the MCAs were directed to proceed on leave and report back in January.
There has been trouble in the county assembly for weeks now. Part of the assembly building was burnt but no suspect has been arrested.
The executive blamed the fire on an electric fault.
Kombo is said to have written to county commissioner Abdirasack Jaldesa, asking him not to release the official maze to the MCAs. The maze has been missing from the county since the motion to impeach the speakers was first mooted.
Three cars belonging to MCAs considered key in the impeachment process were smashed although police are yet to make any arrests.
MCAs Erick Janganya was caught facing off with the goons who smashed his car.
He has since been charged at the Kisii law court with malicious damage of county executive office window valued at Sh5 million.
Another MCA, Joseph Chweya, was arrested and has since been released on a bail of Sh50,000.
The ward reps visited the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission offices in Kisii and filed a statement. They asked that the raid on the county assembly premises be probed.
They also want county police commander Jebel Munene removed saying he instructed the officers on duty to pull out, giving room to goons to cause destruction.
“In an ideal situation this should not have been allowed to happen,” acting speaker Samuel Onuko said as he led the MCAs in condemning the incident.
The MCAs said the assembly should be secured so they can conduct their businesses without fear.
For the better part of the three weeks, they have been angry and restive, much of their anger directed at speaker Kombo.
Kombo is on suspension but MCAs want him removed. They accused him of being behind their woes.
Kombo has denied involvement.
“I proceeded on leave as they determined and later I understood they voted that I resume work,” Kombo told the Star.
He, however, said he is yet to resume work following the turmoil at the assembly.
Kombo had garnered 29 votes, above the threshold required to get him back to the office.
Thirty-nine Ward Reps, however, voted to eject him out of the assembly.
Acting Speaker Samuel Onuko has since however rejected that voting was done.
He said there were disruptions and some votes were torn by disgruntled Ward Reps and thus no voting took place.
“There is nothing that points voting was ever done, and if it was, the exercise flopped and so Kombo should stay at home until the discussions are concluded and fresh voting is done,” Onuko told the Star.
And as they moved to start the proceedings, the maze went missing forcing them to improvise a wooden plank.
And in a sitting on Tuesday morning, they passed a motion to set up a committee to probe Kombo and four former Assembly Board officials.
Mr Kombo has remained a marked man since the death of Kiamokama MCA, Kennedy Mainya a month ago
Though he died of Covid, his family was denied insurance benefits for him, neither the other Assembly members have life insurance
Yesterday, House Deputy Speaker Davinson Onuso, said they had been setting money aside for the scheme each year and were surprised when Manya died without the benefits.
Since then, Speaker Kombo became marked with Gesusu MCA Benson Ntabo filing a motion seeking to declare the seat vacant and the house to have a new speaker.
Kombo, says the copy of the motion seeking his ouster, has been running the affairs of the house in blatant disregard of the house rules.
He is said to have instructed the members to break sessions through a WhatsApp communication and via a junior communication staff.
He is also accused of putting the lives of the MCAs in danger for failing to secure and pay for the life insurance.
The Ward Reps now want that he further be investigated for complicity in the attacks against them for carrying out their official work.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
