Fireworks loom as Kajiado Azimio MCAs plot to impeach Speaker Justus Ngossur over alleged gross impartiality and blatantly siding with UDA legislators.
In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, 16 MCAs allied to Azimio's side of the political divide, claimed the speaker through his alleged gross impartiality has been denying their MCAs time to air views/contribute to debates on the floor of the House.
They also accused him of allegedly attending and presiding over UDA MCAs’ caucus meetings, outside and inside the precincts of the assembly.
“We are also concerned that the speaker has been habitually and blatantly taking sides by bringing UDA party agendas to be discussed on the floor of the House,” said the statement that was earlier served to the speaker and the clerk of the assembly.
The statement was signed by the members of the Kajiado county assembly.
They include Isaac Keses (Magadi), Joshua Olowuasa (Kaputiei North), Simon Saitoti (Purko), Eli Gor (Oloolua), Benard Moloma (Poka), Paul Matuyia (Kitengela)Abraham Osoi (Matapato North), David Mutunkei (Matapato South), Edwin Lemomo (Kuku Ward) and Joseph Toris (Ewuaso).
Others are; Carolyne Ndeti (Special Elect), and Mildred Risancho Nominated) Jecinta Lepaiton (Nominated), Shilah Ndanyi (Nominated), Hamida Yiare (Nominated), and Judy Nkaabata (Nominated).
The MCAs claimed the speaker presided over a meeting of UDA MCAs on Feb 14 that plotted their walkout on Governor Joseph ole Lenku as he addressed the assembly.
“The reason why we want speaker Ngossur out of office is that he pronounced himself to Azimio House leaders that the CEC for Education will be impeached yet no motion had been tabled or was it discussed by the House business committee,” said the statement.
The statement further claimed the speaker abused the powers of the relevant committee and illegally gave out directions that certain sections of Standing Orders be amended to make it easier to impeach CEC Members.
“The speaker joined a local cabal of political extortionists out to stall the development agenda of the executive,” the statement said.
Responding to the claims, Ngossur rubbished all the accusations labelled on him saying:
“They are peddling lies against me after the majority of MCAs raised the issue of bursaries.”
The speaker claimed that there is a plot by the executive to frustrate the majority of MCAs in UDA in the distribution of bursaries.
“I never plotted the alleged walkout on the governor when he came to the assembly to address the MCAs. The MCAs walked out of him because of the stance he has taken on the UDA MCAs,” said the speaker.
The speaker denied claims he presides over party issues on the floor of the House and challenged the Azimio MCAs to produce the order papers to support their claims.
He said order papers contain all the subjects and issues debated on the floor of the House.
“Nothing is passed on that floor without taking a vote. They are now worried that their agendas will never see light, so they have picked petty issues to malign my name,” said the speaker.
“Since the day of the election of the Speaker into office, we, as indeed the greater citizenry of Kajiado county, have witnessed a swift but regrettable decline and desecration of the hallowed office of the speaker,” the Azimio MCAs stated.
Ngossor is keen to propagate parochial political, sectional and sometimes purely personal interests using the space afforded by the powers and privileges of his office, they added.
The speaker, they claimed, has long ceased to be an impartial judge in the assembly when opinions differ and has unapologetically and persistently taken political and personal sides in disputes concerning the management, leadership and business of the assembly.
The speaker said those making the claims cannot prove them and that because he is the leader of all of them, he will only pray that the MCAs will act maturely and appropriately on matters of the House.
“We are governed by rules of the House and Standing Orders that I adhere to the letter. They cannot force me to bend the rules of the House to suit their whims,” said the speaker.
“We have on various occasions called upon the speaker to rise above political party partisanship and steer the assembly with honour and respect to the citizens of Kajiado who want to see their government progress in improving their lives,” the Azimio MCAs claimed in their statement.
Ngossur said he is guided by “an open door policy” which he adopted soon as he was elected and that he has always invited MCAs to meet him in his office whenever they have pertinent issues.
He said the assembly is a house of honourable members who debate serious issues for the benefit of the people of Kajiado.