Wajir County is staring at yet another political crisis after some Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) filed a notice to impeach Governor Mohamed Abdi on grounds of runaway corruption, gross misconduct and abuse of office.
The notice was filed by Benane MCA Abdi Mohamed Sheikh who called on the county assembly clerk to fast track the process.
The Nation yesterday learnt that the ouster plans come after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations among elders, other political leaders and the ward reps.
Assembly Clerk Shalle Sheikh Mursal confirmed receiving the notice, saying the document has been signed by 23 out of 49 MCAs.
“Kindly find attached notices of motion regarding the impeachment of Governor Mohamed Abdi Mohamud for onward transmission and approval by the Speaker,” reads the notice in part.
Mr Sheikh, the sponsor of the motion, said the county boss has violated the Constitution and abused his office, contrary to the law.
Thursday, he urged Wajir residents to support the impeachment process. “We, therefore, seek the support of the people of Wajir as we execute our mandate,” he said.
“This is a procedural motion that requires steps as per the statutes provided and it’s our appeal that you wait for that time when the substantive motion will be tabled so that you will understand better its contents,” he said.
Governor Abdi and some ward reps have been embroiled in a number of disputes regarding the running of the county since he took power.
On several occasions, the MCAs have engaged in fistfights over disagreements on a number of issues, including the budget allocation and membership of the county public service board.
An MCA who sought anonymity said the ouster motion was triggered by lack of responsiveness from the county government on issues like the settling of pending bills.
Some local leaders have recently been on the county boss’s neck, lashing out at him over what they termed as constant failure to pay contractors and suppliers and runaway corruption in the county.
The leaders say this has negatively affected the livelihoods of residents as the contractors and suppliers are yet to be paid despite having rendered services.
The source also gave an example of a recent incident in which a frontline health worker died due to lack of oxygen, saying it is a sign of negligence by the county.
However, if the ouster motion manages to go through, it will not be a walk in the park since clan dynamics are likely to play out.
