By MOSES NJAGIH

Kenya: Senate Majority Leader Prof Kithure Kindiki has criticised the sudden wave of impeachment of governors by members of county assemblies, warning that it will slow down devolution.

Kindiki said the constitutional clause allowing MCAs to impeach county bosses must be used “sparingly and as a last resort” to avoid incapacitating governors.

“Impeachment should not be used as the weapon of first resort. It should be used sparingly and only when all other avenues have been exhausted. It should never be that whenever a governor has done something wrong then MCAs rush to bring him down,” said Kindiki.

In a press conference yesterday, the Tharaka Nithi senator said the drafters of the Constitution anticipated that impeachment would only be the ultimate measure when all other avenues have been exploited.

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He said it was discouraging that MCAs were now abusing the provision and using the leeway to blackmail and issue threats to governors, hampering their performance.

“It (impeachment) is not meant to be abused to incapacitate governors from doing their work. It should be brought only when there are serious allegations of breach of law. It must not be employed on frivolous grounds,” he said.

MCAs in several counties have either begun the impeachment process or given indications of their intention to send the county bosses home over various allegations, prompting senators’ caution that they will only entertain a process backed by strong grounds as stipulated in the law.