Bomet MCAs renew attempts to impeach Governor Ruto

Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto is in fresh trouble after a notice of motion to impeach him was filed in the county assembly yesterday.

The governor is being accused of flouting the Constitution among other ills.

Kembu Ward MCA Julius Korir filed the notice, which Speaker Geoffrey Kipngetich said the House Business Committee would debate next week on Wednesday.

“The House Business Committee will meet and slot the day of debate as per the standing orders,” said Mr Kipngetich.

Mr Korir is accusing the governor of economic crimes, abuse of office and failing to show competence in carrying out his duties as a governor.

“The governor has continued to violate the provisions of the Constitution, committing serious economic crimes, abusing and demeaning his office and failing to show competence in his duties,” reads part of the motion.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  CDF Ogolla's last moments in troubled North Rift
• 
  How Ruto has silenced political rebels in his Rift Valley backyard
• 
  Five people dead, 23 injured after matatu rams into tractor in Bomet
• 
  SCHOOLS: Kaplong reign supreme in Bomet County games

The MCA also accused Mr Ruto of misappropriating public funds, and presiding over the mismanagement of county resources.

“On several occasions, the governor has been accused of misappropriating public funds to the tune of hundreds of millions of shillings and has deliberately been dishing out county resources on grounds of favoritism and with little regard to crucial county planning documents such as the County Integrated Development Plan, Annual Development Plan, Fiscal Strategy Paper and the County Budget,” adds the notice.

Ruto is further accused of allowing for recruitment of extra employees un-procedurally and allocating himself, either directly or through relatives and other proxies, county tenders in total disregard of procurement laws.

Korir had a difficult time when he tabled the notice of motion as the different parties in the House engaged in a heated debate.Those opposing and supporting the motion traded accusations.

Settle Scores

Korir maintained that his motion was for the good of the people of Bomet while those opposed to it accused him of being used by the Jubilee government to settle political scores given that the governor was not on good terms with Deputy President William Ruto.

MCAs allied to the governor said the accusations were false and that he was being witch hunted politically for taking on the Jubilee administration

The MCAs, led by Robert Bett of Boito Ward, said the timing of the impeachment was suspect and it was a wider scheme by the Government to punish leaders opposed to it.

“The timing and pettiness of the upcoming impeachment motion match the pronouncements of the Jubilee forces that were congregating in Kericho over the weekend. Their desperation was evident in their talk as it is in this motion,” Mr Bett said.

The MCAs said there was an external hand in the plot to send home the governor in the wake of the squabbles over political supremacy in Rift Valley.

“There is a mischievous move that is being pushed by dark forces outside the county who are keen to ensure the leadership and the county operations are destabilised for selfish political gains,” said Longisa MCA Stephen Changmorik. Speaking to the Press in Bomet, Mr Changmorik said the plot to impeach the governor was ill-intended and a scheme to scuttle his development agenda.

“We are not taking the move lying down and those forces from outside the county that are funding the motion should be told in no uncertain terms that their scheme will fail and we will shame them,” the Longisa MCA said.

The MCAs vowed to shoot down the motion.