This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to meet with the Council of Governors (CoG) over the power vacuum that could hit the Nairobi County Government following the arrest of Governor Mike Sonko.
On December 6, 2019, Governor Sonko was arrested over irregular procurement and payment of over Ksh.357 million, leaving the county without a deputy governor since January 2018 when Polycarp Igathe resigned.
According to Article 182 of the constitution, Sub-article 4, if a vacancy occurs in the office of county governor and that of the deputy, or if the deputy county governor is unable to act, the Speaker of the county Assembly, Beatrice Elachi, shall take up the role.
However, Speaker Elachi had been ousted from office on September 6, 2018, but has since been reinstated by the court. It remains to be seen if she will ascend to the position of Acting Governor given the hostile situation she finds herself in, after being impeached by a majority of Nairobi MCAs and reinstated by the court.
CoG Chairperson Wycliffe Oparanya acknowledged the unique state of affairs in the Nairobi County Government, stating that the council is set to reach out to the President for an emergency meeting.
