The High Court has temporarily stopped an impeachment motion tabled against Kirinyaga County governor Anne Waiguru, pending petition determination.
The High Court was on April 6 expected to rule whether the Kirinyaga County Assembly will continue with its sittings.
MCAs Maureen Muthoni and Raphael Kariuki wanted the court to stop the sittings in bid to stop the spread the virus. The MCAs, through lawyer Steve Ogolla,argue that in the absence of urgent and exceptional business directly related to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is no rational justification for the assembly to resume sittings.
The county reps’ decision to move to court was informed by the action by the assembly speaker to recall them from recess to discuss the impeachment motion against governor Waiguru.
In the impeachment motion filed on Tuesday last week, the MCAs accuse the governor of gross violation of the Constitution by among others not delivering the annual state of the county address to the assembly.
Muthoni and Kariuki argued that reconvening the assembly in the middle of the coronavirus crisis poses a real and imminent danger of new infections to the MCAs, staff and the public that interact in the assembly.
Ogolla submitted before Justice Weldon Korir that the court should direct the speaker to ensure adequate arrangements have been put in place to protect the members, staff and public from coronavirus infection.
The two fear that reconvening the assembly in the middle of the coronavirus crisis poses a real and imminent danger of new infections.
According to them, the assembly was adjourned on March 18 over the coronavirus situation in the country.
