Githinji Mwangi

The woes bedeviling beleaguered Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, who is fighting to save herself from impending impeachment trial, deepened yesterday after five local legislators backed her ouster.

The MPs;  Wangui Ngirici (Woman Rep), Kabinga Wachira (Mwea), Gichimu Githinji (Gichugu), John Wambugu (Kirinyaga Central) and George Kariuki (Ndia) told the governor to carry her own cross.

Addressing the press yesterday, the leaders cautioned the area County Commissioner and Jubilee Party to stop interfering with the process.

In the motion, which has been supported by a majority of the MCAs, the governor is accused of gross misconduct and abuse of office, including claims of embezzling county money through alleged fake trips.

Ngirici told the governor to allow all the means provided by the Constitution to take course and to stop fighting the MCAs because it might be interpreted to mean she is guilty of the allegations levelled against her.

“The governor should allow the impeachment trial to go on because she  will be given a chance to defend herself at the County Assembly and at the Senate.

She should not fight any one who is demanding for her accountably,”  said Ngirici, adding that the trial doesn’t mean that the is guilty.

The ouster motion, which was filed in the Assembly by Mutira MCA David Kinyua Wangui with the backing of  30 of his colleagues, is set for debate tomorrow.

Waiguru, who was forced out of her Cabinet Secretary post in 2015 by the National Youth Service scandal, has been accused of massive corruption and heading a “criminal enterprise” aimed at defrauding the county coffers.

The governor is accused of paying fictitious companies millions of shillings for no work done with claims that company associated with Waiguru family has been paid millions of shillings for supplying air at Kerugoya Referral Hospital.

She has also been accused of  allegedly pocketing Sh10 million in imprest for no travel done.

But the governor has dismissed the accusations as “pedestrian” and accused the MCAs of playing politics.

She said the allegations had been cooked by her political opponents and accused a senior national government officials and her deputy Peter Ndambiri of sponsoring her downfall.

But the MPs said they would support any move to fight corrupt and impunity in the county and told the governor to subject herself to scrutiny and not to run away from the accountability.

They attacked the Jubilee Party secretary general Raphael Tuju saying he had no power “whatsoever to dismiss county assembly Majority leader Kamau Murango” from his position for backing Waiguru outer motion.

“Members of county assembly have mandate to scrutinise the county government and nobody should stop them from carrying their constitutional mandate, we want to tell Jubilee leadership to keep off from shielding an accused person,” the MPs said in a joint statement.

Kirinyaga Central MP Wambugu, who is also a lawyer, said Tuju’s statement “should be ignored with contempt it deserves” and advised Murango to continue discharging his duties without intimidation.

He said Tuju has no power in election of Majority Leader as he is elected by MCAs in the Assembly.

Ndia MP Kariuki criticised Kirinyaga County Commissioner Jim Njoka for purporting to direct the Assembly in its operations after he wrote a letter to the House declaring their last week’s sittings as illegal.

He said the Assembly is governed by Standing Orders and the Speaker was the only person who can direct the MCAs on the way forward on issues touching the Assembly.

“We want to inform our county commissioner that he has overstepped his mandate and he has no power to direct Assembly in anyway,” said the MP.

Dismiss claims

The governor has also fallen out with her deputy, her long time loyalist and defender, after she accused him of backing plans to impeach her.

Last week, Waiguru’s supporters in a press conference used unprintable words against Ndambiri. The deputy governor has dismissed the accusations and vowed not to resign from his position.

He said he was elected the same way the governor was elected insisting that he’s nobody’s appointee. Ndambiri accused the governor of  sponsoring some of her supporters to insult and abuse him but said he has forgiven them.