Beatrice Elachi was on Thursday ousted as the Nairobi County Assembly Speaker.
Elachi was impeached after 103 members of the assembly on Thursday evening voted in favour of the impeachment, thereby achieving the two-thirds majority required. Two members voted no and two others abstained.
According to Elachi, the MCAs were pressured to sign a petition for her impeachment. She alleges the ward reps were threatened that they would miss trips, be de-whipped or removed from committees.
Speaking on Thursday in Malindi, Elachi denied allegations that she has an interest in tenders at City Hall.
“I sit on the County Assembly Public Service Board with both the leaders of majority and minority leader. If I was doing those deals, then I was doing with them. Who will be foolish to do so?” Elachi posed.
She further dismissed claims that she wrote to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate 19 members of the Labour Committee over alleged corruption.
“I know they are frustrated. They have loans, have not received their salaries but we cannot vent frustration this way. I want to plead with the members to look at the country’s financial situation, and the situation right now is that we do not have resources,” she said.
The MCAs removed her for causing ‘great embarrassment’ to the county assembly. In a motion by Waithaka MCA Antony Kiragu on Thursday, Elachi was accused of gross misconduct.
“Her actions and omissions have caused embarrassment and brought the office of the speaker into disrepute, this assembly resolves to sanction,” Kiragu said.
In the motion, the MCAs want Elachi removed as a holder of the office of the speaker of the county on the following grounds; Conflict of interest, Undermining the Authority of the County Assembly Board, Abuse of Office/Gross misconduct, and Failure to show leadership.
But hours after her ouster, Elachi obtained temporary orders suspending her impeachment.
Through her lawyer, James Macharia Mwangi, Elachi argued before the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi that the impeachment was irrational.
Justice Maureen Onyango certified the matter urgent and issued a conservatory order stopping the Assembly from removing her from office as speaker or appointing a new nominee until all the parties are heard.
“The respondents, their agents and/or persons acting under their direction are hereby restrained from interfering with the petitioner’s execution of the duties of her office as Speaker pending the inter partes hearing of this application,” read in part the Court order.
The case will be heard on Tuesday September 11, 2018.
