Mohamud impeachment: Be lenient with me, Wajir Governor pleads with senators

Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi Mohamud during his impeachment debate at the Senate, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi Mohamud pleaded with the Senate to spare him after the special committee upheld his impeachment by the County Assembly of Wajir over gross violation of the constitution. 

While addressing the Senate on May 17 before the senators took a vote on his ouster, Governor Mohamud urged the Senators to be humane and give him a chance to serve the people of Wajir.

Mohamud said he might have violated the constitution, but the violation cannot be gross based on what his administration has achieved within the four years.

“I wish to plead with the Senate to be sympathetic and not use one aspect to oust me, let the Senate be humane and give us a chance so that we can serve our people,” he said.

In the health sector, where he is accused of failing to provide services leading to loss of lives, Governor Mohamud said his administration has built 50 health facilities and bought more ambulances for the county in the last four years.

“We have built over 50 health facilities in Wajir within the four years at least every ward has one dispensary or more. We also managed to buy more ambulances with 16 currently operational,” he said.

He said his officers in the health department gave adequate information on health status in Wajir and wondered why they were only picking on issues such as generator breakdowns to impeach him.

He said Wajir has had challenges of power in most of his facilities because of the use of generators instead of electricity.

“We are not on the national grid, we depend on generator driven by fuel, hence rampant breakdowns challenges,” he pleaded.

Governor Mohamud pleaded for leniency saying out of the 17 charges, only one was substantiated against him, adding that it meant they were frivolous.

The Senate committee had recommended Governor Mohamud over gross violation of the constitution.

The Nyamira Senator Okon’go Omogeni-chaired committee found that the Wajir county boss was guilty of gross violation of the Constitution by flouting the County Government Act, Public Procurement Act and Asset Disposal Act and the Public Finance Management Act.

The committee, however, absolved the governor of abuse of office and gross misconduct charges, saying the Members of County Assembly did not provide sufficient evidence.

The final vote on his proposed impeachment by the Senate will take place this evening.

Mohamud was impeached on Tuesday, April 27, after 37 MCAs voted in favour of his ouster, while 10 opposed his removal.