The political storm surrounding the attempted impeachment of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has taken a new twist after Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga openly criticised the intervention of her brother, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and President William Ruto in halting the process.
Speaking to the press, Ruth Odinga lamented the decision by Nairobi Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) to drop their impeachment bid after separate meetings with the two leaders. She faulted the move, insisting that MCAs should have been allowed to exercise their constitutional mandate of oversight without external interference.
“One of the main tenets of devolution is that MCAs are overseers of the county government. The fact that Nairobi MCAs had declared a lack of confidence in their Governor should have been respected. They should have been allowed to proceed with their petition and, if necessary, impeach him and send the matter to the Senate,” Ruth Odinga argued.
She further accused the Nairobi MCAs of betraying their oversight role, adding that shelving the motion weakened both devolution and accountability. “The MCAs of Nairobi have let down the people of Nairobi,” she stated firmly.
Her remarks came after Raila met with Sakaja and ODM-allied MCAs at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation, where the Governor apologised for the grievances raised against him, including delays in bursaries, a stalled Ward Development Fund, and unfulfilled campaign pledges. The meeting, chaired by ODM Nairobi Chairperson George Aladwa, ended with an agreement to suspend the impeachment for one month.
On the other side, President Ruto also summoned UDA MCAs to State House, where he urged them to abandon the ouster bid. The intervention came as both ODM and UDA MCAs had already collected over 70 signatures out of the required 82 needed to formally table the motion.
