This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
June 8, 2020, marked a tumultuous day in Kirinyaga County as Governor Anne Waiguru faced the wrath of the county assembly. The assembly had rejected her budget, which allocated Sh90 million for furniture and her official residence.
According to sources, a plan to force Governor Waiguru to resign and create a leadership vacuum in the county is underway. This move comes after the assembly had interfered with the supplementary budget recently, but the embattled governor returned it to the house with a memorandum only to be rejected by members.
Two-thirds of the MCAs rejected the governor's memorandum, with only eight supporting it. The tension was palpable as pro-Waiguru allies claimed that those opposed to her were on the payroll of a powerful civil servant, Interior PS Karanja Kibicho.
Adding to the woes of Governor Waiguru was a decision by the MCAs to push two motions of no-confidence against Finance Minister Moses Migwi and Chief Officer (Roads) Joseph Makumi, key faces in her administration. The MCAs accused the two of incompetence and graft.
Majority Leader Kamau Murango claimed that the MCAs were opposed to the memorandum, which had no cash for development. The move comes after Governor Waiguru skipped PS Kibicho's function in the county, where he was accompanied by three other PSs.
PS Kibicho and Governor Waiguru have been at odds, with the governor accusing him of sponsoring an impeachment motion against her for his own selfish interests. In a statement, Governor Waiguru said, 'He is the one sponsoring MCAs to impeach me on flimsy accusations! I want to tell him to come slow, and wait for me in 2022, the power of people will decide.'
