Fresh row over Kiambu speaker’s seat

By John Muthoni

Kenya: Controversy surrounding the post of Kiambu County Assembly speaker is long from over after County Association of Kenya Thursday moved to the court to bar elections that were scheduled for Friday.

The association, in its petition filed under certificate of urgency, told the court that the elections will be marred with illegalities because some of the nominees were allowed by the deputy speaker to hand in their nomination papers after the deadline had lapsed.

The applicants argued that there is no position of a deputy speaker under the law and thus the extension of the application period and the nominations of more people other than the four who had met the deadline was unconstitutional.

“The law allows only a clerk to oversee the elections. In the absence of a speaker, who was ousted, then the assembly cannot continue with its sitting,” said the association.

Nomination list

The elections were meant to happen on March 24 and thus the only business was to carry out the same and not a discussion of extension of nomination period.”

The petitioners in their affidavit supporting the urgency of the matter told the court that some members of the assembly, who felt that their desired candidate was not in the nomination list, moved the motion.

They accused the deputy speaker of abusing his office and hijacking the roles that are only vested to an assembly clerk.

Justice Isaac Lenaola ordered the matter be heard tomorrow but did not grant the orders sought as the petitioners were not present before the court when it was mentioned.