BY SHADRACK NYAKOE
A war is looming at City Hall after a section of ODM MCAs voted to remove Makongeni MCA Peter Imwatok as the Minority Whip.
Imwatok was replaced by Lower Savvana MCA Nicholas Okumu.
In a stormy session presided over by temporary Speaker John Kamangu, the changes allegedly from the ODM Party were adopted.
“Members, the office of the Speaker is in receipt of a letter from the Minority party in the house which is in line with standing orders 21(8) communicating the decision by the minority coalition, in respect of the office of the Minority whip. The office of the Speaker is indeed in receipt of minutes and attendance list in compliance with the provisions of Standing Orders 21(7) and (8) accompanying the letter,”
“I hereby wish to communicate that the Minority Party has made the following changes to the leaders; 1. That the Hon Peter Imwatok be removed from office of the minority whip 2. That the Hon. Nicholas Okumu has been duly elected as Minority Whip,” Kamangu told the Assembly.
On his part, Okumu said normal process of unseating a leader was observed.
He said 36 reps signed a petition against Imwatok and resolved to replace him.
Okumu added that the appointment is pending the approval of a substantial person by the Party.
“If the members who elected you lose faith in you, they will have to collect signatures to petition your removal and if they meet the threshold, they will communicate to the party and the same will be communicated on the floor of the house,” he said.
However, Kilimani MCA Moses Ogeto and his nominated counterpart Mary Arivitsa opposed the changes.
Another letter believed to be from ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has been doing rounds on social media and it claims the changes were not sanctioned by the Party.
Embakasi MCA Michael Ogada who doubles up as the Minority leader said he does not acknowledge the changes and that the coup is “an illegality in its entirety”
He cautioned ODM members and warned them not to be loyal to the “ailing Jubilee Party”.
Before being ousted, Imwatok had on May 5th purportedly axed MCA Jared Okode from all the House Commities.
Imwatok said Okode had engaged in gross misconduct by coercing and intimidating his colleagues to go against the Assembly leadership and ODM’s position.
Okode was allegedly removed from the Planning and Housing Committee, Transport and Public Works and the Culture and Community Services.
He also removed MCA Clarence Munga from the Trade, Tourism and Cooperatives Committee., Implementation Committee, Culture and Community Services Committee and the Energy and Information, Communication and Technology Committee.
Another victim of Imwatoks high handedness was Lawrence Otieno who was bundled out of the Trade, Tourism and Cooperative Committee as well as the Water and Sanitation Committee.