The Senate has allowed Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to call four witnesses after having rejected his list of seven earlier.
The governor had lined up seven witnesses including himself and three MCAs to testify in the impeachment case.
The session resumed Thursday morning with Sonko, through his lawyers taking the stand to discount allegations levelled against him.
The Governor has been allocated four hours to argue out his defense.
Speaker Ken Lusaka has ruled that only Sonko will testify in the case. Lusaka said there were witness statements filed by the defense but allowed the parties to speak on the matter.
“Having listened to all the parties and looking at all the papers before us and exercising my discretion, I will allow four witnesses and the Governor to testify, “Ken Lusaka said.
County assembly through lawyer Ndegwa Njiru had opposed the admission of all the 7 witnesses lined up by the defence on grounds they had been served with their statements.
Siaya Senator James Orengo said the witnesses’ statement ought to have reached the senate before the trial began.
“You cannot introduce a case within a case. You cannot ambush the other party,” James Orego said.
Through lawyer Ndgewa Njiru, the ward reps claimed that Sonko has failed the leadership and integrity tests and brought disrepute to the office of governor.
“He has not only violated Article 6 of the Constitution and acted in a manner that is sumptuous to the people of Kenya,” Njiru said.
The lawyer said the county boss has practiced extravagance by using public money to fly his daughter to the US.
Kinyanjui submitted that Sonko has been furnished with evidence supporting charges against him while other allegations touch on cases pending in court during his opening remarks.
“If a man should be denied the audience when they are faced with accusations and then sentence passed against them, isn’t that violation of the Constitution?” Kinyanjui posed.