Meru residents seek to dissolve Assembly after Kawira Mwangaza's impeachment
A section of residents who are collecting signatures for a petition to suspend Meru County Government during a press conference on December 15, 2022 . Governor Kawira Mwangaza has backed to initiative to have the county government dissolved.
A section of Meru residents now want Governor Kawira Mwangaza to endorse their bid to have the county government dissolved over her irreconcilable differences with ward representatives.
The residents say the county government has failed to perform its constitutional mandate due to intense wrangling between the county boss and MCAs in the last three months. Their differences hit a crescendo on Wednesday when Meru MCAs unanimously voted to impeach Governor Mwangaza.
"We are deeply aggrieved and injured by the poor leadership exhibited by our MCAs through their constant wrangling with the governor. Since the dispute cannot be resolved amicably, disbandment of the county government is the only solution," reads the petition started by a local lobby that backers say has received thousands of signatures.
Ms Gakii Mbui, a resident and politician who vied for women representative seat, said the collection of signatures started last month but was suspended when they saw signs of dialogue between the warring parties.
"We expected that the governor and MCAs will resolve their differences but the recent impeachment is a sign that ward reps are not ready for a truce. Various leaders including the Njuri Ncheke (Meru elders), politicians, the clergy, and the deputy president have tried to unite the two groups in vain. As residents, we are empowered by the Constitution to remedy this impasse through dissolution," she said.
Ms Mbui also argues that by tabling a second impeachment motion after a court order stopped the first one, it shows that the MCAs want an all-out war that will ultimately affect delivery of services in Meru County.
The law provides that such a push be backed by at least 10 percent of registered voters. Currently, there are more than 780,000 registered voters in Meru, meaning that the petition requires at least 78,000 signatures to meet the threshold.
Article 192 of the Constitution and section 123 of the County Government Act provide that a devolved government may be suspended by the president due to internal conflicts, war or exceptional circumstances.
Common needs
The law provides that a county may be suspended due to "actions that are deemed to be against the common needs and interests of the citizens".
Former Nkueni MCA Mr Nick Mburugu, who is part of the group lobbying to dissolve the Meru Assembly, reckons the bad blood was engineered in the early days of the new county administration and that those behind it were never keen on having Ms Mwangaza as governor.
"The wrangles in Meru County are not about to end. The MCAs are empowered to impeach the governor but as residents, the Constitution gives us power to send the entire assembly home. We believe the governor will back our bid because she has the support of the electorate," Mr Mburugu said.
Local politician and MCA aspirant, Mr Kaboria Mworia, said the impeachment had re-energised the petition that is now targeting to collect at least 400,000 signatures.
Once the threshold of signatures is met, the law provides that the president shall present the petition to an inter-governmental body for approval. After approval by the council of governors, the president can then form a commission of inquiry to investigate and make recommendations.
If the president is satisfied by the recommendations, he can then forward it to Senate for approval. A nod from Senate will then lead to suspension of the county government for a period of not more than three months. During this period, the county is run by an interim management board.
The Senate may then terminate the suspension of the Assembly or order that fresh elections are held upon expiry of the suspension.
Makueni and Taita Taveta counties have in the past attempted to seek dissolution of their assemblies due to infighting between MCAs and their respective governors.
