Senate plenary to decide Sonko impeachment case

Embattled Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko will appear before all 67 Senators as he tries to wiggle himself out of a possible impeachment by the Senate.

This was after Senate Majority Leader Samuel Poghisio declined to move a motion to appoint a 11 member select committee to hear charges leveled against Sonko.

“The leader of majority has declined to give a notice of motion, in the absence of that, the motion cannot proceed,” Speaker Kenneth Lusaka said.

“The majority leader having declined or otherwise abandoned the notice of motion and therefore the motion, the route of the committee is now abandoned and that now means that the senate will investigate this matter in plenary,” he ruled amidst cheers from Senators.

The Speaker said he will gazette December 17 and 18 as days that Sonko will face his accusers before the Senate.

Sources indicate that Poghiso failed to move the motion after he realised he could have been defeated as more members wanted the charges heard in plenary.

Poghisio and the House leadership had recommended Senators Samson Cherargei (Nandi), Charles Kibiru (Kirinyaga), Hargura Godana (Marsabit), Abdullahi Ali (Wajir), Alice Milgo (nominated) Christine Zawadi (nominated) Okongo Omogeni (Nyamira), Mohammed Faki (Mombasa), Judith Pareno (nominated), Petronilla Were (nominated) and Fred Outa (Kisumu) to form the committee.

Sonko is accused of mismanaging the finance department, absconding duty, intimidation, harassing and blackmailing officers and unlawfully using public funds to sponsor his daughters travel to attend the county first ladies conference in New York USA.

Other reasons cited for his impeachment include publicly admitting that he was intoxicated while he signed the deed of transfer of functions to Nairobi Metropolitan Service and being charged for corruption related issues.