At one time, President Ruto down-dressed Mr Wamatangi in public when he told him to his face that he joined UDA late and that he needed to study the party’s manifesto to avoid making mistakes. Sources say that Wamatangi was not President Ruto’s choice for governor, the President wanted former Governor William Kabogo
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi finds himself in a very awkward situation as threats to impeach him gain momentum, but who wants him out? It is now obvious that the governor is unwanted in the UDA party where he has long been considered a Jonnie come late, if the words of President William Ruto a while ago are anything to go by.
At one time, President Ruto down-dressed Mr Wamatangi when he told him to his face that he joined UDA late and that he needed to study the party’s manifesto to avoid making the mistakes he was making. Sources say that Wamatangi was not President Ruto’s choice for governor, he wanted former Governor William Kabogo.
From the above analogy, could it be right to conclude that President Ruto could be behind Wamatangi’s political woes? Governor Wamatangi has been pushing for the one man, one vote, and one shilling narrative, something the president does not want to hear. Sources say Wamatangi’s defiance against the president on the issue could be one of the reasons behind the bad blood between him and members of the Kiambu County Assembly, which might eventually lead to his impeachment.
Another bone of contention is the controversial Del Monte land, which was ceded to the county government. The governor has on several occasions claimed that some powerful forces are pushing him to allocate part of the land to them. Without naming names, the governor claims that he faces unspecified consequences if he fails to cede part of the land to the unnamed people.
To show how the plot to impeach the governor is gaining momentum, almost all MCAs walked out of the chambers to frustrate the debate on his 2023/2024 Finance Bill, which the governor had tabled in the chamber for approval. The move is to sabotage the governor’s tax collection measures in the county.
It is important to note that a section of MCAs have advised residents of Kiambu not to pay any license fees or levies to the county government because there is no Finance Act in place to legitimize the process. The MCAs claimed that the governor should first tell the residents what he has done with the Ksh. 3.6 billion collected in own-source revenue from the previous Finance Act.
Majority leader Macharia Wambui (Limuru East) said that they have agreed not to pass the Finance Bill as no tangible services are being offered to the people. Governor Wamatangi has been under fire for the last week after MCAs and MPs from the county accused him of highhandedness, incompetence, failed leadership, abuse of office, misappropriation of funds, and unilaterally running the county affairs.
But the governor has stuck to his guns, saying he will not heed or yield to the demands of his opponents, no matter how far they escalate the fight against his leadership style. He claims that his political adversaries are after vast and prime land parcels in various parts of the county, which they want to be converted from the public for their personal use.
