Sonko under fire as Nairobi MCAs threaten to impeach him

Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko now faces an impeachment motion over the Pumwani Hospital crisis.

A section of Senators and members of the Nairobi County Assembly are accusing Sonko of staging theatrics to gain political mileage even in matters he should have handled as governor a long time ago.

Governor Sonko has over the past one year, sacked and suspended his county executives and officials in what critics describe as unsettling of county operations.

And again on Tuesday, the governor suspended four senior county officials over alleged insubordination.

They are Peter Kariuki (County Secretary), Veska Kangogo (Devolution and Acting Health Executive), Mahat Jimale (Chief Health Officer) and Lydia Kwamboka (County Attorney) .

The Governor cited contravention of the principle of collective responsibility for an unspecified period of time with legal minds arguing that that, may translate to dismissal, albeit, unprocedurally.

In August, Sonko suspended Health Executive Member Hitam Majevda and County Health Director Thomas Ogaro over what her termed as laxity, after he visited a Kangemi Health Centre and discovered poor services and lack medicines.

The previous month, the governor had suspended Brian Mugo (Chief of Staff ), Ekaya Alumasi (Acting Chief Officer of Finance) and Stephen Mutua (Acting Head of County Treasury) over misuse of public funds, pending investigations.

The move saw him move Trade Executive Allan Igambi to the finance docket in a mini-reshuffle and his place was taken by Newton Munene who was vetted and approved by the assembly in May as the finance county executive.

In April, Sonko had sent 30 county procurement staff on forced leave over allegations of issuing inflated local purchase orders (LPOS), without his approval.

Barely a month before that, in March, the governor had suspended Devolution Chief Executive Vesca Kangogo for travelling to the United States, contrary to executive orders banning county executive members against going on foreign trips.

He had in the same month, fired Finance Executive Danvas Makori and suspended chief officer Ekaya Alumasi for allegedly working with former Governor Evans Kidero.

In January, Mike Sonko sacked three of his aides; Bernard Mulwa (his personal assistant), Joseph Ireri (delivery unit deputy director) and Michael Mutua just three months after appointing them.

He accused them of masquerading as county officers and soliciting bribes from contractors and suppliers in the name of facilitating their payments.

In September last year, after taking over City Hall, Sonko sent home the county secretary, all 10 executives and the 17 chief officers in former Governor Evans Kidero’s administration.

He declared the positions vacant and placed an advertisement in national newspapers, inviting qualified people to apply.

A group of Nairobi County MCAs has since then told off the governor over what they say is intimidation of professionals.

They are expected to address the issue through a motion on Tuesday, when the assembly sittings resume.