The fate of impeached Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu now lies with the Judiciary following the postponement of the planned swearing-in of Deputy Governor James Nyoro who was to assume office Thursday as the third governor of the county.
Mr Waititu moved to court Thursday morning, seeking orders to set aside the Senate decision to impeach him.
He argued that the Senate did not properly evaluate the impeachment motion forwarded from the county assembly on December 19 that axed him from holding office over violation of the Constitution, abuse of office and other charges.
The Judiciary late Thursday postponed the oath-taking ceremony of Dr Nyoro, citing “unavoidable reasons”.
“A new date will be communicated in due course. We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” said the Judiciary, which had announced that High Court Judge John Onyiego would preside over the swearing-in of Dr Nyoro yesterday.
The deputy governor, who has been acting as governor for the past four months following the arrest and prosecution of Mr Waititu, was set to take the oath after Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka gazetted Mr Waititu’s impeachment on Wednesday night.
The reasons for the postponement of the oath-taking were that the date, the place and time for the swearing-in ceremony had not been gazetted in line with the Assumption of Office of Governor Act, 2019.
The Act stipulates that the swearing-in ceremony of a county governor shall be conducted at a public place before a High Court Judge. The oath or affirmation shall be administered not earlier than 10am and not later than 2pm.
Kenyan Business Feed is the top Kenyan Business Blog. We share news from Kenya and across the region. To contact us with any alert, please email us to [email protected]
