Homa Bay Speaker Elizabeth Ayoo fights to stay at the helm

Embattled Speaker Elizabeth Ayoo (pictured) was lawfully impeached by the County Assembly, a court has heard.

Yesterday, lawyers representing the Assembly Service Board, led by Homa Bay Town MP Opondo Kaluma, told Justice Nduma Nderi that Ms Ayoo was a stranger to the assembly.

Ayoo has, however, countered the bid to get rid of her by presenting a defence through lawyer David Otieno.

Mr Otieno asked the court to cite the County Assembly for contempt of court for allegedly disobeying orders reinstating Ayoo as Speaker on November 6. In a heated court session in which Justice Nderi had to ask Kaluma to calm down after fiery exchanges with Otieno, Kaluma revealed that the Hansard report indicated that 47 members convened to impeach Ayoo.

According to Kaluma, the county assembly did not act in breach of the Constitution.

“She is a stranger to the assembly and strangers are not welcomed,” said Kaluma.

He said the assembly had to elect someone to act as speaker after Ayoo failed to appear.

In the suit, Ayoo listed 17 grounds why she should stay put. She has accused some ward representatives of contravening several articles of the Constitution.

Ayoo says she was served with a notice of intent to remove her from office a day before the debate and voting on the Motion. Consequently, she said, that move contravened Article 50 of the Constitution.

The court will rule on the matter on January 31, next year.