A bi-partisan team of Members of Parliament have mooted plans to initiate a censure motion against Interior and Coordination of National Government Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i a day after opposition leader supremo Raila Odinga fired a warning shot that the CS is jeoperdising the handshake pact.
Proponents of the ouster motion are allied to Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party with the backing Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) MPs and a handful of those drawn from the Jubilee Party.
A similar attempt flopped in 2019 after the DP called his troops to order warning that such a move would have jeoperdised his inroads in the vote rich Gusii region.
However, The Informer has established that UDA, ODM and some Jubilee MPs want to capitalise the rare convergence of interest to push Matiang’i out from office over what they regard as his weak political influence in Kisii region following Jubilee’s loss of Bonchari by elections contest to ODM.
This comes at a time the Gusii council of elders are seeking to reconcile the CS and Kisii governor Charles Ongwae of ODM after a bitter fallout between the duo triggered by the just concluded Bonchari parliamentary mini-polls.
“It is all systems go that collection of signatures to kick start the process for his (Matiang’i) ouster. This has started in earnest. We have a bi-partisan support in pushing support for the impeachment motion.” One of the MPs intimated.
Belgut MP Nelson Koech has been task to collect signatures while his Soy and Kapseret counterparts Caleb Kositany and Oscar Sudi respectively will take charge to reach out and onboard legislators from other political parties.
The legislators want to cite Matiang’i over what they term as abuse of office and misuse of police power in the just concluded Juja, Bonchari and Rurii Ward by elections.
Raila accused the state of impunity and misuse of police to harass and intimidate electorates.
“What we have witnessed in the by-elections in Bonchari and Juja is an abuse of police powers and an arrogant display of impunity by a few overzealous and bellicose government functionaries. An election process is an opportunity for the voters to express their will at the ballot and not an avenue to pursue imaginary and short-legged political interests.”
He added: “Security forces exist to serve the people and not the interests of those out to conduct political experiments. The peaceful co-existence post-2018 must not be taken for granted by some rogue elements wanting to confuse the handshake for an excuse to erode our hard-earned liberties! This must stop!” said Raila in a post on his Twitter handle.
ccording to Raila, the victory demonstrated the ODM party’s unwavering support and love.
“Congratulations to Bonchari Mp Elect Pavel Oimeke! The win in the just concluded by-election is a clear demonstration of the unwavering support and love for ODM party,” Raila Tweeted ” Governor Ongwae, the Kisii ODM team, the Abagusii community and the entire family of ODM, kazi mzur (impressive job)i!”
However, for the impeachment motion to sail through, the proponents have to navigate the threshold of mandatory one-third support of the members for the parliament to establish a select committee to investigate the claims against the CS.
