Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura has been sworn in as acting Nairobi Governor following the impeachment of Governor Mike Sonko.
Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka gazetted the impeachment of Governor Mike Sonko on Thursday.
This was after senators voted to have him removed from office upholding the resolution by Nairobi MCAs to oust him.
Mr Sonko was facing charges including on abuse of office, gross violation of the Constitution and any other law, dross misconduct and crimes under national law, grounds which will eventually see him impeached.
This paved the way for the swearing-in of Mr Mutura as acting governor with Nairobi County having no deputy governor since the resignation of Polycarp Igathe in January 2018.
Article 182 (4) of the Constitution states that if a vacancy occurs in the office of county governor and that of deputy county governor, or if the deputy county governor is unable to act, the Speaker of the county assembly shall act as county governor with an election to the office of county governor being held within sixty days after the speaker assumes the office of the county governor.
Mr Mutura will hold the position for 60 days before Nairobi City’s 2,250,853 registered voters spread across 3,378 polling stations go to the polls in mid-February to elect a substantive governor.
“Pursuant to Article 181 of the Constitution, section 33 of the County Governments Act, 2012 and standing order 75 of the Senate Standing Orders, on Thursday, December 17, 2020, the Senate resolved to remove Mike Sonko, the Governor of Nairobi County, from office by impeachment,” read the gazette notice by Speaker Lusaka.
