The Jubilee Party has kicked out Embu County Assembly Majority Leader Michael Njeru over allegations of sabotaging Governor Martin Wambora’s administration.
Mr Njeru reportedly supported a motion suspending tax collection until officials accused of corruption stepped aside to pave way for investigations.
In a communication by majority whip Judy Mbuya read during Thursday evening’s plenary sitting, Speaker Josiah Thiriku informed MCAs of the party’s decision to remove the Kithimu ward rep and replace him with his Kagaari South counterpart Robert Ireri.
The party also de-whipped two nominated MCAs from all House committees for the same reason.
A separate communication notified the House of the immediate removal of nominated MCAs Sicily Ruguru Njiru and Rose Ruguru Kinyua from all county assembly committees for three months, following accusations of lack of discipline and violation of party regulations.
The two are said to have been actively involved in fighting Mr Wambora in the House instead of supporting him.
However, the Speaker dismissed the letters from the Jubilee headquarters, drafted by Lawyer Franklin Mwendani as inconsistent with the requirement of the County Assembly Standing Order number 19 which requires the largest party in the House to elect one of its members as the Leader of the Majority Party, pursuant to the Political Parties Act.
Mr Thiriku also observed that the Leader of the Majority Party could only be removed from office through a vote supported by a vote of a minimum of two thirds of the membership of the largest political party or coalition of parties in the Assembly. He therefore said the removal from office of the Majority Leader would not take effect until members of the Jubilee party vote.
The Speaker reaffirmed that the Whip of the Jubilee party ought to have forwarded a copy of minutes of the meeting held by the political party’s members, dethroning the Majority Leader and electing a new MCA to the position. He stated that he was not in receipt of such minutes and therefore could not effect the changes in the party leadership due to lack of conformity to party rules.
In his communication to the House, the Speaker also spelt out the Standing Orders dictating how members of Select Committees would be removed and replaced from the said committees, adding that any action to the contrary of County Assembly Standing orders would be deemed null, defective and inapplicable.
He also said that major political party decisions should be communicated to the Assembly through the party caucus, but said he had not received any communication from the Jubilee party caucus in regard to removal of the Majority Leader from office or de-whipping of MCAs from committees. The Speaker therefore declared the correspondence to his office was improper and termed it as a violation of the rules set by the party.
Further the Speaker issued a stern warning to politicians scheming to rise to party leadership “through the back door” that the Assembly would not entertain any decision that would be found to violate any stipulated law.
He said the Legislature was a House of rules and procedure and would cease to exist if the laws were violated.
He subsequently directed the Jubilee party to adhere to the rules it had set and avoid violating the same, in order for its decisions to be admissible at the assembly.
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