Wajir Deputy Governor Ahmed Ali Muktar has been sworn in as the Governor for Wajir County following the Senate’s move to uphold the impeachment of Mohamed Abdi Mohamud.
Muktar was sworn in Tuesday midday at the Wajir County headqurters by Justice Said Chitembwe after the gazettement of Mohamud’s impeachment by Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka.
The former Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi Mohamud was impeached on grounds of Gross violation of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010;
The County Government Act, 2012;
The Public Procurement and Disposal Act, 2015;
and the Public Finance Management Act, 2012.
Mohamud’s impeachment trial was held by an 11-member Committee which submitted to the Senate an 144-page report recommending his removal.
25 Senators out of 47 upheld the impeachment of the Governor by the County Assembly surpassing the required threshold of a simple majority of 24 votes.
Two Senators opposed the impeachment while four abstained the vote.
The Wajir County Assembly alleged that the governor “had caused the health sector to run into disarray that had compromised right to the highest attainable health standards; and also that, “over Ksh.2.4 billion had been allocated to the department of medical service but the county referral hospital lab could not conduct COVID-19 tests due to faulty test kits and lack of reagents. ”
In his defense, the governor denied that healthcare in Wajir had suffered under his leadership adding that the allegations levelled against him do not meet the threshold of impeachment.
We have provided enough, I could be impeached for violation of the constitution but it cannot be for gross misconduct,” the Governor told the Senate on Monday.
The Wajir governor is the 9th county boss to face impeachment since the promulgation of the new constitution with two of his colleagues namely Mike Sonko and Ferdinand Waititu removed from office for gross misconduct.