By The Weekly Vision Team
Political tempers in Kiambu County seem to rise by the day, with Governor Kimani wa Matangi and the majority leader in the National Assembly, Kimani Ichungwa, going for each other’s necks. According to sources well-versed in Kiambu County politics, the bone of contention is the failed promises made by Governor Wa Matangi to the people of Kiambu. It is against such alleged failures by the governor that Mr Ichungwa is accused of sponsoring Kiambu MCAs to impeach their governor.
As things stand now, the Kiambu County Assembly is divided right in the middle, with a slim majority supporting the governor while others are allied to Mr. Ichungwa. According to unconfirmed reports, Mr Ichungwa and Wa Matangi had a gentleman’s agreement where Mr Ichungwa would be allocated employment slots in the Kiambu County Government, that he would be allocated some land, and that the governor would be consulting him before making certain decisions as far as the county’s management is concerned.
However, upon assuming office, the governor trashed the gentleman’s MoU and started running the affairs of the county without consulting Mr. Ichungwa. That is when trouble started for the governor.
The governor seems to have decided not to respond to Mr. Ichungwa’s “attack dogs” in the County Assembly. A section of the MCA has now come out to claim that Mr Ichungwa has been using his position as leader of the majority to redirect national government projects intended for the county to his constituency, claiming he is undermining them and engaging in divisive politics.
However, Ichungwa, in a quick rejoinder, has, in turn, accused a section of MCAs of forming an ‘unholy’ alliance with the governor and neglecting their duties. He claims the governor has pocketed and compromised a section of the MCAs, who, instead of doing oversight work, now go to bed with the same executive they are supposed to oversee.
Investigations, however, reveal that at least 49 members of the Kiambu County Assembly have come out to defend Wamatangi over a looming impeachment, saying that it will have disastrous consequences. This is after they allegedly fell out with Ichungwa, who had approached them with the intention of supporting his plans to impeach the governor. Kiambu has 60 elected MCAs and 27 nominated ones.
