This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
On July 14, 2020, a dramatic turn of events unfolded in the Kitui County Assembly as the impeachment motion against Governor Charity Ngilu was withdrawn at the last minute.
According to reports, the County Assembly speaker George Ndoto did not provide reasons for the withdrawal, but cited unavoidable circumstances.
However, the County Assembly Majority Leader Peter Kilonzo pointed fingers at some MCAs who had gone missing, reducing the two-thirds threshold needed to debate and send Ngilu home.
The impeachment motion, which had been scheduled for tabling on July 15, 2020, was a significant development in the ongoing saga surrounding Governor Ngilu's leadership.
Ngilu was required to appear personally before the Assembly to respond to the allegations in the impeachment motion.
Just five days prior, the High Court had granted the assembly authority to continue with the motion against the governor, following a ruling by Justice Weldon Korir who dismissed Ngilu's application seeking to stop the assembly from tabling and debating the impeachment motion against her.
Ngilu's lawyers criticized the speaker, claiming he was contravening the law by interrupting the process and pushing the motion to a later day.
