A voter in Nyamira County has moved to court seeking orders to stop Governor Amos Nyaribo from nominating a second person for the position of Deputy Governor.
The new governor, who took office in December last year, had nominated former West Mugirango Member of Parliament James Gesami as Deputy Governor, but the appointment was rejected by the Nyamira County Assembly.
The voter, Patrick Atambo, wants the governor barred from nominating a second person for the position saying the law does not allow it.
According to Atambo, he is apprehensive the governor will go ahead and nominate a candidate a second time even though the law doesn’t allow it.
Amendments to the County Governments Act, 2017 approved by the National Assembly in 2020 only envisages approval of a nominee and does not provide as to what happens if a nominee is rejected by the assembly.
Read: Ex-MP Gesami Suffers Set Back As Nyamira Assembly’s Appointments Committee Rejects DG Nomination
The Office of Deputy Governor became vacant after Nyaribo was sworn in as governor on December 29, 2020, following the death of Governor John Nyagarama.
Nyamira MCAs voted on January 19 to adopt a house committee report that rejected Gesami’s nomination.
The Appointments Committee had cited Gesami’s failure to present crucial documents during the vetting process as the reason for rejecting his appointment.
Read Also: Amos Nyaribo Sworn In As Nyamira County’s Second Governor
The report detailed that Gesami failed to present a clearance certificate from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
Gesami served as Nyamira County’s ODM chair before resigning in 2017 after losing to the late Nyagarama in nominations.
Sources in the know revealed that top ODM party officials were not comfortable with Gesami’s appointment hence lobbied to have the MCA’s reject his nomination.
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