Court stops replacement of Kiambu County Speaker

By Lucianne Limo

Kiambu, Kenya: An Industrial Court has stopped the Kiambu County Assembly from recruiting a new speaker after impeaching its former speaker Nick Ndichu.

Ndichu had moved to court to block the KCA from recruiting a new speaker.

Justice Nduma Nderi stopped the recruitment process pending the hearing and determination of the case.

Ndichu was impeached last week over allegations of embezzling Sh530, 000 during a foreign trip to Brazil.

Ndichu wants the court to reverse the decision by Kiambu County Assembly of removing him from office as the speaker.

He has sued the Kiambu Clerk, county assembly and George Mbeya and Law Society of Kenya are named as interested parties.

He argues that his removal from office on February 25 was unlawful and without basis in law.

He accuses the county assembly of advertising for the position of speaker without first degazetting his appointment as the speaker.

Ndichu stated that on Nov 5 last year, he was invited by LSK to its member’s annual retreat in Brazil, South America between Nov 29 at a cost of Sh530, 000,”he said.

He claimed the county assembly facilitated the processing of payment and necessary arrangement with LSK.

He pointed out that last week, as an aftermath of the said trip , Mbuyu Nelson Munga, the member for Ndeiya ward, introduced a motion to  the county assembly seeking to remove him from office.

“The respondent has trampled upon my right that amount to public lynching on malicious and unsubstantiated allegations of financial impropriety,”Ndichu said.

The respondent has violated his rights and administrative justice by violating the mandatory provisions of sec 63(I) b and Sec 63(2) of the Kiambu county assembly act, he added.

He pleaded with the court that unless the application is expeditiously heard and Kiambu clerk stopped, there is likelihood that he will proceed and gazette its impugned decision thus prejudicing his reputation and dignity that cannot be compensated by way of damages.

The county assembly had accused Ndichu of authorizing the finance department to pay for his traveling expenses to Brazil.

They further accused him of using derogatory language to members of county assembly.

Ndichu however denied the allegations and instead accused the county assembly of not giving him a chance to respond to the allegations.