THE STANDARD
NATIONAL
Nairobi County Assembly Minority Whip Peter Imwatok. [Samson Wire. Standard].
ODM has withdrawn all its members from the Nairobi County assembly watchdog committee amidst growing leadership wrangles with President Uhuru Kenyatta s Jubilee Party.
The withdrawal of membership from the powerful Public Accounts Committee (PAC) - held by the opposition, now threatens to cripple the assembly s oversight role over billions of shillings appropriated by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services and City Hall.
In a letter to Assembly Speaker Benson Muturi, Minority Whip Peter Imwatok accused Jubilee of allegedly meddling in the affairs of the committee by coercing and intimidating members to oust the PAC chair Wilfred Odalo.
The fallout is so deep that even the plaque at Mr Imwatok’s office at the county assembly has been removed and vandalised.
The ward representatives in the Raila Odinga-led party have also begun collecting signatures after losing confidence in the leadership of the minority whip.
The second term MCA is accused by his colleagues of allegedly using the party’s name in bad light at the county government to advance his selfish interests.
According to one of the MCAs behind the push to remove the leader, Highrise Ward MCA Kennedy Oyugi, signature collection has started with 32 MCAs already appending their signatures.
She said the plot was to have her admit to having received a letter withdrawing her nomination in a call by Mr Sonko.
“He (Sonko) sent me a blank unsigned letter on Whatsapp telling me he had withdrawn my nomination as deputy governor,” Ms Mwenda told the committee.
“His intention was to show the public I had received the alleged letter which is not true,” she added.
Ms Mwenda’s tell-it-all came after Minority Whip Peter Imwatok asked about a leaked audio recording of a conversation between Ms Mwenda and Mr Sonko that has been circulating in social media.
In the leaked audio, Mr Sonko tells Ms Mwenda that she will be his running mate in the event of a by-election in Nairobi.
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