Governor Gachagua, Maina trade barbs over botched impeachment attempt

As reverberations of Nyeri County Assembly’s unsuccessful attempt to impeach Governor Nderitu Gachagua continue to be felt in the region, there is every indication the county boss’ rivalry with former Mathira MP Ephraim Maina will continue to play out.

Gachagua minced no words in linking Maina with the plot to have him impeached when he appeared before the Senate to defend himself against accusations leveled against him by Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) during the impeachment proceedings in the House.

The governor’s claims that a wealthy politician was behind the scheme to remove him from office have now drawn out Mr Maina, who came out in the open yesterday to criticise the Senate for clearing Gachagua “when they had watertight evidence.”

And even as Maina denied Gachagua’s accusations, he had few kind words for the Senate.

Wrong-doing

“What happened in the plenary was a mockery of justice. I can tell you 95 per cent of Nyeri people were not happy with the senate resolutions to clear the governor,” Maina said, and noted that there was overwhelmingly evidence that linked Gachagua to wrong-doing.

The former MP, who was speaking at Ndimai-ini PCEA church in Mathira, scoffed at the governor’s claims that he had influenced the decisions of 32 MCAs to kick out their boss.

The governor claimed that Maina hosted meetings between April and July to plan how to frustrate and get him impeached.

Gachagua told the Senate that Maina held four meetings with MCAs at his home and at Greenhills hotel in Nyeri.

“The meetings to plot for my removal were held under the chairmanship of Maina. The first one was to plan how I would be left out of the leadership of the Jubilee merger and to discredit my performance as governor,” Gachagua told an attentive House.

But Maina has dismissed the claims as baseless. “Those allegations are false and I unreservedly deny them. I have not been to Greenhills Hotel in Nyeri for more than three years. Nor have I entertained MCAs at my rural home for the purposes alleged by the governor,” he said.

“These (the MCAs) are grown up and responsible men and women who make their own independent decisions. It is demeaning for anyone to suggest that they may have been influenced by an individual.”

Gachagua’s impeachment sucked in six local MPs who supported the ouster. But the legislators have attracted the wrath of locals who have taken to social media to criticise them for joining the fray too late “after the MCAs had done the donkey work.”

The exchange between Gachgua and Maina has not come as much of a surprise for observers in Nyeri. For nearly two decades, Maina and Gachagua have been involved in a vicious battle to influence Nyeri politics, and have not been averse to employing unusual methods.

When Gachagua was MP for Mathira, Maina, even without the benefit of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), came up his own development projects complete with boards indicating he had sponsored them.

In 2007, he managed to oust Gachagua as MP, but when Maina vied for the Senate in the next election, he lost while Gachagua comfortably beat his opponents to capture the governorship.

Critical issues

The battle does not seem to be over for Gachagua, and ward representatives in his county say issues they raised in their impeachment of the governor must be addressed.

Baragu Mutahi, the mover of the impeachment motion, told The Standard on Sunday that their relationship with the governor would not improve if the issues are not addressed.

“We have no problem working with him, but has he addressed the critical issues that have been raised? We can’t just sit by and allow him to continue in his old ways,” Baragu said.

The MCA said they are willing to work with the governor only if he shows goodwill.

“But I don’t think he is ready for that since the day after the Senate decision, there were vehicles fitted with loud speakers that went around disparaging the MCAs. Is this coming from a person who is ready to work with the ward representatives?” said Baragu.

But County Assembly Majority Leader Duncan Gituanja, who also backed the impeachment bid, said the MCAs were ready to work with the governor following the conclusion of the matter.

Gachagua, who flew out of the country after the Senate decision, dismissed the notion that he was arrogant.

“I’m not arrogant, some things are as a matter of principal. They should respect me and I will respect them,” said Gachagua, who also announced that he would be seeking to defend his seat.

Although Maina is widely expected to vie for public office, he has not publicly stated which seat he would vie for.