Kiambu Governor Wamatangi Under Fire as MCAs Threaten to Impeach Him

Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi is facing new challenges as members of the county assembly accuse him of being a dictator who has failed to lead and manage the county’s development plan.

According to assertions made against him, Wamatangi is blamed for not collaborating well with other leaders as well as not seeking their input in vital decision-making. The conflict between the assembly and the executive stems from allegations that Wamatangi has not fully constituted his government for effective service delivery, a year after taking office. However, Wamatangi has dismissed these claims, denouncing them as a scheme by opponents looking to damage his reputation. He believes that his antagonists are manipulating the assembly members to execute their plan.

The Kiambu County Government is facing criticism from Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) for failing to fill key vacancies and for allegedly running the county affairs unilaterally. Several officials resigned during Governor James Nyoro’s tenure including the County Executive for Education Bibianne Waiganjo, who cited oppressive working conditions as the reason for her departure. The county’s chief of staff, County Executive for Roads, and their respective chief officers also resigned and have not been replaced. This has aggravated MCAs who are accusing the government of putting the county’s World Bank funding at risk.

Despite the gazettement of several municipalities earlier this year, the MCAs claim that the municipalities lack substantive boards to run them. Local ward representatives have accused the governor of arbitrarily dismissing staff members following aggressive coercion tactics. They assert that since the governor was elected, he hasn’t delivered on any noteworthy projects besides distributing old chicks and fertilizers to farmers.

The Karuri MCA, Peter Njoroge Wainaina, alleges that the governor has been working with members of his Wamatangi Foundation to replace elected MCAs who have been left without administrative mandates. According to Njoroge, Wamatangi has placed his own candidates in various wards to oversee projects such as road grading. The MCA further claims that only 8.2% of the Sh4.88 billion allocated for development in the county has been used as of April 2023, potentially leading to a significant amount of unspent funds being returned to the national treasury.