Newly gazetted Isiolo Assembly Speaker, Abdullahi Jaldesa
Banticha/HANDOUTLeadership turmoil in the Isiolo Assembly has taken a dramatic turn after the High Court issued conservatory orders temporarily halting the removal of the recently gazetted Speaker, Abdullahi Jaldesa Banticha.
The ruling comes amid deepening political infighting and a power struggle that has crippled operations within the devolved unit.
Justice Hellen Wasilwa of the Employment and Labour Relations Court, sitting in Milimani, Nairobi, issued the orders on Tuesday.
The judge barred any attempts to degazette or remove Banticha from office pending the hearing and determination of a petition he filed against the government.
“In the interim, no action be taken removing or degazetting the applicant as the Speaker of the Respondent,” the judge ruled, emphasizing the need to preserve the status quo until the matter is fully heard.
The Speaker moved to court seeking protection after the assembly clerk, Salad Guracha, revoked his recent appointment in a gazette notice published on Monday.
In his petition, Banticha named the Government Press and the State Law Office as respondents.
Justice Wasilwa certified the petition as urgent and directed that it be served on all respondents ahead of an inter partes hearing scheduled for July 17, 2025.
The court's intervention sheds further light on the escalating crisis within the Isiolo County Assembly.
Banticha was recently installed as speaker, replacing Mohamed Koto, who had earlier presided over the contentious and ultimately unsuccessful impeachment motion against Governor Abdi Guyo.
The fallout from that impeachment attempt has left the assembly bitterly divided and severely polarized.
In a shocking revelation during Senate deliberations on the impeachment saga, it emerged that the Isiolo County Assembly has been operating with two rival speakers and two competing clerks, each faction claiming legal and procedural legitimacy.
This unprecedented scenario stunned members of the Senate and sparked urgent calls for institutional intervention.
According to official documents, Clerk Guracha—who signed the gazette notice appointing Banticha—had earlier been suspended by Speaker Koto.
Koto went ahead to appoint a temporary replacement. However, Guracha challenged his suspension in court and was reinstated, further complicating the leadership matrix in the assembly.
Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo, speaking on the Senate floor, questioned the legitimacy of Banticha’s election.
“The Government Printer, a very sensitive department in this country, gazetted a speaker elected by only two members of the Assembly.
“This is unacceptable and raises serious legal and ethical questions,” said Senator Dullo, calling for a comprehensive audit of the assembly’s leadership processes.
As the court prepares to hear Banticha’s case, all eyes will be on the judiciary to provide clarity and possibly set a precedent on how such political standoffs should be handled in the context of devolution.
Meanwhile, Isiolo residents continue to watch anxiously, hoping for a resolution that will bring stability, legitimacy, and a renewed focus on the county's development agenda.
