Locals collect signatures to send Lamu Governor Issa Timamy packing

Lamu Governor Issa Timamy follows proceedings during the ruling of his bond at Mombasa High court on June 30, 2014 following the Mpeketoni massacre. He was acquitted. [Photo: Kelvin Karani/Standard]

Opponents of Lamu Governor Issa Timamy have launched a new campaign to remove him from office even as he awaits the decision of the Supreme Court following a petition filed to challenge his victory in the March 4 2013 elections.

Mr Timamy's opponents, who include many members of the county assembly, have launched a multi-pronged strategy to get rid of him.

They are toying with the idea of impeaching him at the county assembly or lobbying President Uhuru Kenyatta to initiate the dissolution of the entire county administration if the impeachment move fails.

Timamy was elected on a United Democratic Forum Party (UDF), but the county assembly is dominated by Opposition and pro-government legislators and ex-officio members who oppose most of the governor's policies.

The Standard has learnt that close to 6,000 signatures have been collected since early February in Kiunga, Pate Island, Basuba, Kisiwani, Mpeketoni, Witu and Hindi areas on the Lamu islands and mainland against the governor.

Timamy has faced a host of legal and political upheavals and at some point spent two weeks in police custody last year following the massacre of 65 people in Mpeketoni.

The High Court in Mombasa dismissed the police investigation against the governor regarding the mass murder after failing to produce a single witness to back claims he was behind the slaughter.

Despite being freed by over the Mpeketoni massacre, the Supreme Court is yet to deliver judgement in an appeal lodged by his arch-rival Fahim Yassin Twaha after the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling that had nullified Timamy's victory.

Dissolve county

Now his opponents have launched a collection of signatures from local voters to petition the President to dissolve the county administration.

Those behind the signature campaign are cagey on their real intentions.

It is not clear whether they want a by-election after ousting Timamy on the grounds of non-performance though the governor says he believes the signatures are to petition the Supreme Court to deliver judgement.

Sunday the instigators of the signature collection process said that over 6,000 signatures have been collected and that they were targeting 10 per cent of the 52,346 registered voters, to kick start the process to oust him.

According to Timamy, the collection of the signatures was initially supposed to petition the Supreme Court to deliver judgment on a case challenging his election, a claim the governor's opponents partially accept.

"You may have misunderstood the idea because from what I have gathered, the signatures are to petition the Supreme Court in a case in which my competitor is challenging my election," said Timamy in an interview in Mombasa.

Ali Shebwana, who is leading the crusade to collect the signatures, says he initially wanted to petition the Supreme Court over the pending judgement but following an alleged overwhelming show of discontent against the governor, they decided to transform the signature campaign into a bid to dissolve the whole country administration.

Oversight role

Shebwana claims that article 192 of the Constitution gives citizens powers to collect signature and initiate the process to remove the county government if it fails to deliver its mandate.

Shebwana, who is also the TNA Secretary General says even the county assembly has failed to carry out its oversight role.