A Section of Nairobi MCAs Accuse Assembly Speaker of Bias Amidst Leadership Change Dispute

 A section of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in Nairobi has raised accusations against Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Ken Ng’ondi, alleging bias in his rulings and a lack of neutrality.

Led by South B MCA Waithera Chenge, the UDA MCAs claim that Speaker Ngondi has been taking sides rather than remaining impartial, as mandated by the law.

The allegations come in the wake of a dispute over the party’s leadership change within the assembly.

The UDA party had sought changes in the Minority party leadership, with the communication being made by Deputy Minority leader Waithera Chege.

However, Speaker Ngondi dismissed these calls, citing a failure to adhere to the proper procedure as outlined in the standing orders.

During a plenary session on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, Speaker Ngondi stated,

“The letter informing me to effect changes in the minority party leadership emanates from the office of the deputy minority leader, contrary to provisions of standing order 23(9). Hence, I am unable to act on the correspondences of the UDA party and cannot effect the desired changes in the presented form.”

In response, Deputy Minority Leader Waithera Chege argued that she was merely reminding the speaker of a communication made by the deputy whip in October 2023. She stressed that according to the standing orders, it is the office of the Whip that should inform the speaker of any changes.

“I want to confirm that very soon I will bring a substantive motion to discuss the character of the speaker. Just the other day you saw the issue with Muslims; he has many failures in this assembly, and today marks the climax of all that,” Waithera added.

The minority leader and the Minority Chief Whip echoed these sentiments, expressing their dissatisfaction with the speaker’s decision. They claimed that no meeting was held to discuss their removal and expressed their willingness to step aside if the UDA members feel they are not fit to lead.

Meanwhile, the UDA Party’s Internal Dispute Resolutions Mechanism committee (IDRM) upheld the ouster of the current office holders at the Nairobi County Assembly. The committee ruled that the removal process was conducted in accordance with party regulations and standing orders.

“The removal of the complainants from their respective leadership positions of the County Assembly of Nairobi was procedural,” stated committee chairperson Rebecca Tonkei.

Kiragu and Mugambi, the ousted leaders, had the option to appeal to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the UDA Party but decided against it, believing that the speaker’s communication was in their favor.

The unfolding situation underscores the complex dynamics and power struggles within the UDA party’s leadership in the Nairobi County Assembly.