Turkana North ex-MP declared county assembly Speaker unopposed
Two-term Turkana North MP Christopher Nakuleu being sworn in as the third speaker of the Turkana County Assembly on September 20, 2022.
Christopher Doye Nakuleu, who served two terms as Turkana North MP, is the new Speaker of the Turkana County Assembly.
This followed the inauguration of war reps on Tuesday. Assembly Clerk Linus Miinyan said Mr Nakuleu won unopposed after his four opponents were disqualified.
This meant that members of the county assembly (MCAs) did not need to vote to pick a Speaker.
Former Finance chief officer Abraham Losinyen, Ms Susan Aletia, who unsuccessfully vied for woman representative, Ms Jane Apetet, who lost the Senate seat to James Lomenen, and Mr Derrick Epae were disqualified on various grounds.
Mr Nakuleu, who lost his seat to Paul Nabuin of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), had a shot in the arm after his party United Democratic Alliance (UDA) nominated him.
In a September 19 letter to UDA-elected and nominated MCAs, party secretary-general Veronica Maina said Mr Nakuleu had been nominated for the Speaker’s position.
The letter, copied to the clerk of the assembly, directed the MCAs to uphold the party’s decision.
Clerk Miinyan said the major grounds for disqualifying the four other aspirants included pending court cases and failure to resign at least six months before the election.
Of the five candidates who completed and returned their nomination papers, he said, only Mr Nakuleu qualified.
"The standing orders of the Turkana County Assembly provide that if there is only one candidate duly nominated for elections as Speaker and the nomination period expires, then the candidate shall be declared duly to have been elected Speaker without any vote being required,” Mr Miinyan said.
“I now therefore declare Nakuleu Doye Christopher as duly elected Speaker of the third assembly of Turkana."
Turkana Central MP Emathe Namuar said Mr Miinyan was the hero of the day by ensuring that the Constitution, standing orders and court rulings and orders sealed each loophole.
"We expect [a] symbiotic/cordial relationship between the county government and the county assembly …,” Mr Namuar said.
He said a ward development fund should be one of the priorities of the assembly.
