Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has condemned President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga for blocking the impeachment plans against Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
In a statement on Friday, September 5, Khalwale accused the two political leaders of undermining constitutional processes and shielding the governor from legitimate oversight by county representatives.
"The impunity displayed by the President, H.E. Ruto, and the ODM Party leader, Raila Odinga, in shielding Sakaja Johnson from normal constitutional oversight by Nairobi MCAs is a testament that the so-called broad-based government has nothing to do with good governance & constitutionalism in general. Our capital city must work."
The senator's criticism comes amid growing controversy over the suspension of Governor Sakaja's impeachment motion.
The motion had been gaining momentum among Nairobi County Assembly members before being halted following high-level political intervention.
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Khalwale is not alone in condemning the move.
Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has also criticized the decision to prevent Nairobi MCAs from proceeding with the impeachment process.
Ruth argued that the county representatives' expression of no confidence in Sakaja should have been honored and allowed to run its full course.
The Kisumu legislator maintained that MCAs, constitutional overseers of county governments, had every right to pursue the impeachment if they felt aggrieved by the governor's performance.
She expressed disappointment that the process was stopped midway, arguing that it should have been allowed to proceed to the Senate for final determination.
"To stop the process when there are already grievances, I feel disappointed in what Nairobi MCAs have done; they should have gone through the process," Ruth stated.
Reports indicate that President Ruto and ODM leader Raila intervened directly to halt the impeachment proceedings.
On Tuesday, September 2, Raila convened a meeting with ODM-aligned MCAs at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation, where he successfully persuaded them to withdraw their support for the motion.
Simultaneously, President Ruto held a parallel meeting at State House with UDA MCAs, urging them to abandon their push for the governor's removal.
Governor Sakaja, who attended both meetings, reportedly committed to improving his working relationship with the county assembly and promised greater transparency in managing development funds and bursary distributions.
Following the ODM meeting, party officials announced they had given Sakaja a one-month ultimatum to resolve his differences with the MCAs and establish a more collaborative working arrangement.
ODM Nairobi Chairperson George Aladwa confirmed the party's position, stating that Azimio MCAs had agreed to drop the impeachment motion to allow Nairobi leaders to focus on serving the people rather than engaging in political battles.
