Stage set for dissolution of Makueni County Government

NAIROBI: The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has given President Uhuru Kenyatta the green light to form an independent commission towards the possible suspension of the Makueni County Government.

IEBC finalised the authentication of 51,005 signatures from the electorate, who had petitioned the President to suspend the county government.

IEBC said the signatures of 41,123 voters were genuine, while 9,882 were not.

The commission, in their report to the President, ruled that the authentic signatures constituted 13.78 per cent of the 298,474 registered voters in the county and thus they met the threshold required in the Constitution.

“The petitioners have fulfilled the legal threshold of 10 per cent of the registered voters in the county, pursuant to Section 123 (2) of the County Government Act,” said a statement posted on the IEBC website by the Communications and Corporate Affairs Manager Tabitha Mutemi.

“We have informed the President accordingly,” IEBC Chairman Issack Hassan told The Standard in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Ms Mutemi confirmed that the President had received the report by close of business on Monday for further action.

She disclosed that the commission had on Monday also received the original 249 booklets containing the 50,826 signatures of voters who had supported the petition.

INTERNAL CONFLICT

 “The commission will be mandated to probe the issues raised by the residents and come up with a report on the recommended action to be presented to the President,” Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro said.

“Based on the findings, the President will forward the report, together with the petition to the Senate for consideration. The House will either approve or reject the move to dissolve the county,” he added.

Under Article 192 of the Constitution, the President may suspend a county government if (A) following an emergency arising out of internal conflict or war and (B) any other exceptional circumstance.

The membership of the commission should comprise a chairperson, who shall be an advocate of the High Court of Kenya with at least 15 years experience, the chairperson of the National Police Service Commission, two persons resident in the affected county and who have not for the last 10 years stood for an elective office in the affected county government, or have been an officer or employee of the affected county government, and two other persons not resident in the affected county with experience in conflict management.

President Kenyatta met governors on December 8, during the Summit meeting, where they resolved to form a commission to inquire into the standoff in Makueni.

The call for the dissolution by the residents was due to persistent wrangles that crippled operations. If the Senate approves the dissolution, only senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior will survive the sack.