•Abdi said he they had not received any court orders and would be tabling the list of nominees in the assembly for approval on Monday.
•However he said even if they get orders, there would be no vacuum as there are acting chief officers still in office
A Malindi high court has ordered the County Assembly to refrain from the vetting of chief officers nominated by Kilifi County Governor Gideon Mungaro pending the hearing and determination of a petition filed by two residents from the county.
The petition which was filed by Edward Saro Tsuma and Joseph CBarawa Chipa before lady justice A.K Nzei was certified as urgent.
Respondents in the petition are the Kilifi County Public Service Board, the Speaker of the County Assembly, and the County Government of Kilifi.
The Nominated County Chief Officers Nominees are interested parties in the petition.
In the Orders issued on December 1, the Judge said the matter was brought before the court for hearing through a notice of motion under a certificate of urgency and upon considering the supporting affidavits sworn by Chipa on November 30 she certified it as urgent.
"An interim order is hereby issued restraining the County Assembly of Kilifi or the vetting committee thereof from conducting any form of vetting of the kisted chief officers forwarded to the clerk of Kilifi county Assembly as listed and or indicated in the later dated November 21, 2022, to the assembly clerk and as contained in the county assembly website www.kilifiassembly.go.ke pending hearing and determination of the application," ordered the judge.
Nzei further directed the already vetted chief officers to be restrained from taking office pending the hearing and determination of the petition.
She set the mention of the petition on December 8.
The majority leader of the County Assembly Ibrahim Abdi said they had not received any court orders adding that the vetting process of all the 22 nominees of chief officers was complete.
In a telephone interview, he said he would forward the names of the nominees to the Assembly on Monday for approval after which they would be sworn in.
"We have not received any court orders, vetting is complete, on Monday I will be tabling a motion in the house for approval of the Chief officers," he said.
The Watamu ward MCA however said even if they got the court orders there would be no standstill in the county as CEC members are already in the office together with the acting chief officers.