Our Reporter
The ever-brawling Kiambu politicians last week shelved their differences and exhibited a rare show of unity when Deputy President William Ruto visited the county.
The leaders seemed to have buried their hatchet but barely days after the meeting, the gloves were off again with fresh calls by section of MPs and MCAs to impeach Governor William Kabogo.
Kabogo’s sworn enemies, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichungwa and his Thika Town counterpart Alice Ng’ang’a, swallowed their pride to share a dais with Kabogo, the man they have tried by all means to impeach. The two MPs have in fact made Kabogo have sleepless nights.
During the meeting, the MPs together with Kabogo played to the gallery by pretending that all was well despite the fact that even the residents of the Kiambu county know so well that they have never read from the same script since the last general elections.
The bone of contention has been that they accuse Kabogo of running the county affairs without consulting them. This has been interpreted to brand Kabogo as a lone ranger who does not have time for other elected leaders in the county. It is against this background that they had vowed to kick him out Kabogo.
Another anti-Kabogo leader was Lari MP Mburu Kahangara who deviated for a while and made political statement. Sources say leaders had agreed to keep off politics but Kahangara could not hold his horses and found himself heaping praises on Ichung’wa whom he described as a firm leader who spoke his mind even when he was called a test tube politician.
Analysts say ever since 2013 elections, there has been bad blood between the local leaders since the governor assumed power and moved his office to Thika town. The MPs have been on Kabogo’s case, urging him to relocate to Kiambu town, which is the gazetted headquarters but the governor has remained adamant that he will only move to Kiambu when renovation of the former Kiambu Municipal Chambers is complete.
Ichung’wa who was the host shocked many when he introduced Kabogo as “our good governor” and invited him to speak and welcome Ruto to address the congregation but Kabogo knew it was a mockery to be referred to as a good governor by the same person who has given him sleepless nights.
After Ruto left, the rift between Kabogo and Kiambu MPs seems to be widening again even more than before as word went round that they are plotting afresh on how Kabogo can be impeached.
Sources say the legislators from Kiambu county have ganged up once again and have vowed to teach Kabogo a lesson. Sources say some MPs have vowed to collect signatures to impeach Kabogo.
But Kabogo in a quick rejoinder has laughed off plans to impeach him saying only MCAs can impeach him but after two years are over the public will get a chance to send him home. It is said out of the 13 MPs in the county; only two are in Kabogo’s camp.
The war to kick out Kabogo has again taken a new turn after Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi revealed that he risks being forced out of office if he fails to appear before the Senate to respond to allegations of misuse county funds.
“Kabogo has no option if he really wants to remain as the governor of Kiambu. When you are given money to utilise, you must be ready to be questioned by the owner and in this case, the Kiambu people,” Wamatangi said.
Kabogo is among governors who have been summoned by the senate committee on finance to respond to allegations of misuse of public funds. According to Wamatangi, the Kiambu people will suffer because the Boni Khalwale-led committee had ordered the Controller of Budget to withhold funds for the counties until the governors heed the summonses.
After pressure, some governors heeded the summonses but Kabogo has said he would not appear before senate, something that is likely to backfire on the residents of Kiambu county. He at one time bragged that he was not answerable to the senate and told those who feel he had violated any law to go to the police and have him arrested.
It has also been said that Kabogo could be arrested if he continued to defy the senate summonses. “If a governor continues to be defiant, the summonses turn to a warrant of arrest which can actually be executed and he can be arrested and arraigned before the senate,” Wamatangi said.
Residents fear to miss out on funds allocation and stall development projects due to the stance taken by their governor hence the plot to kick him out. In Kabete constituency, area MP George Muchai is cursing why he joined politics. He is rarely in the area and his constituents say he is only seen in news with his wife or shuttling from one court to another fighting for his own wars but not that of his constituents. Kabogo has no time for Muchai who he refers to as Semenya.
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