Impeachment: Machakos Finance executive seeks more time to respond to charges

Machakos Finance Executive Committee Member, Catherine Mutanu has sought more time to prepare a response to the accusations levelled against her by the County Assembly as her impeachment  gathers pace.

Mutanu, one of governor Wavinya’s close confidants appeared before a select committee of the county assembly chaired by Mua ward representative, Francis Ngunga Friday morning where she pleaded to appear on Monday, citing inadequate time to prepare a reply against her charges.

“I believe that if you grant us time, we will be able to prepare and bring you a certificate. We are requesting for more time so that we can be able to appear on Monday so that we prepare ourselves with adequate responses to the allegations that have been made,” said Mutanu.

Responding to Mutanu’s request, the select committee chairman, Mr Francis Ngunga noted that the assembly was working under a strict deadline but agreed with the executive’s pleadings that she be granted more time as requested.

Procedurally, the impeachment hearings must be concluded within ten days after the Motion is tabled on the floor of the assembly.

“The committee is magnanimous enough to agree with some of the things that you have said. We will grant you more time in concurrence with the committee but it should be borne in mind that we have ten days to dispense with our mandate,” said Ngunga.

The development stems from Tuesday’s tabling of an impeachment Motion against Mutanu by Mbiuni MCA, Peter Kilonzo alias PK who cited abuse of office, incompetence, and violation of the constitution as some of the key grounds of her intended ouster.

Part of the submissions tabled by PK include a claim that Mutanu had deliberately declined to transfer appropriated funds meant for the legislative arm of the county government despite exchequer releases, leading to paralysis of the county assembly operations.

The MCA told the plenary that as a result of the artificial cash crisis in the assembly, ward representatives were not only deprived of their mandate to execute their oversight role but also forced the assembly leadership to seek expensive financing of salaries and other obligations.

The impeachment debate has elicited heightened political temperatures in Machakos, with governor Wavinya Ndeti wading into the matter to dismiss the county assembly’s move as inconsequential.

“You keep threatening my ministers with impeachment. Even if you impeach them for no cause, it will not go anywhere. Even if you impeach them, and I do not want them to go, they will not go anywhere,” an angry Wavinya told a public gathering in Matungulu when she toured the region to inspect development projects.

For now, all eyes are set for Monday next week when Mutanu will appear before the assembly to fight off her impeachment.