Isiolo governor Guyo’s fate uncertain after all 18 MCAs unanimously sign motion to impeach him

The fate of troubled Isiolo governor Abdi Guyo hangs in the balance after all 18 Members of the Isiolo County Assembly unanimously signed in favour of impeachment motion to remove the county boss from office.

The ouster motion was tabled by Sericho Member of County Assembly Abubakar Godana and it is expected to be debated on Tuesday next week on the floor of the House.

The Informer Media Group has established that all the MCAs have since retreated to a hotel outside Isiolo county to solidify modalities of forging a united common front to exit Guyo from office who has also fallen out with the Senate after snubbing summonses severally.

“Yes we must have a united front to save this great county from mediocre leadership. We want an all inclusive leadership that respects the rule of law and governance structures. We opted to build consensus and avoid infiltration and decamping,” our source intimated.

In a heavily guarded session on Wednesday, the MCAs initiated the impeachment of Guyo over several allegations, including gross misconduct, violation of the Constitution, and other laws as they also accused him of abusing his office.

All the 18 MCAs signed the impeachment petition before the notice was given.

In the motion, Godana alleged Guyo has violated Chapter Six of the Constitution, the Leadership and Integrity Act and the Public Officers Act.

“These Acts provide for respect for the rule of law, good governance, accountability, and transparency as key principles of leadership,” Godana said.

The MCAs have accused Guyo of presiding over numerous stalled development projects and failing to meet county revenue targets for Isiolo.

According to the legislators, the governor did not need to appoint three chief officers and 36 advisors, considering that it receives a lower revenue allocation from the national government.

“This is against prudent use of public resources as provided for in the Public Finance Management Act. It is further contrary to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission circular, which limits the number of advisors to four individuals,” the motion reads in part.

The first-term governor has also been accused of creating an environment of fear and uncertainty by issuing two-year contracts to chief officers, as they further alleged that he failed to renew the contracts of 20 chief officers but renewed five through a questionable process.

“The governor has violated Article 73 of the Constitution and the Leadership and Integrity Act by failing to professionally perform his duties, often being absent from office and executing county functions from Nairobi,” Godana claimed in the notice of motion.

This is even as the governor has been cited for gross misconduct and using demeaning words against Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dulla, whom he made sexist remarks about during the Madaraka Day celebrations, even as they have been having constant fights.

Guyo is also accused of using inappropriate language to undermine the county’s Public Service Board.

Previously, Guyo has been accused of paying ghost workers in the county.

Last October, a leaked payroll sparked public outrage, with 11 MCAs accusing the executive of irregular recruitment practices.

In addition, Guyo, a former MCA for Matopeni ward in Nairobi, has drawn scrutiny from the Senate for repeatedly ignoring summonses from the County Public Accounts Committee.

The Senate Labour Committee at one time issued a warrant of arrest for the governor for his refusal to honor the committee’ summons.

The committee, chaired by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, resolved that the governor’s actions demonstrate a high level of notoriety and disdain for the Senate as an oversight institution of devolved units.

The warrant of arrest came amidst incessant summons issued by various Senate committees, including the Senate Health Committee, Senate Committee on Finance and Budget, and Senate County Public Accounts Committee.

Guyo has also been on record declaring he would only attend the Senate summons as and when he wishes, even if summoned “500 times.”

The defiant stance followed a series of missed summonses by the Senate County Public Accounts Committee, which saw a fine of Sh500,000 imposed on him.

A notice motion had also been filed before the Senate to discuss the conduct of the county boss, with threats to halt the resources allocated to them.