Nyandarua County Assembly has received a notice seeking removal of the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health Services, Dr. Zakayo Kariuki from office.
Dr. Zakayo Kariuki is facing impeachment by the County Assembly as infighting in Governor Moses Kiarie Badilisha’s administration escalates.
On Wednesday, the County Speaker Stephen Wachira Waiganjo announced that a notice of motion for removal of the executive from office had been received in his office and committed the document to the House Business Committee for processing and allocation of time.
The notice of motion given by nominated MCA Stephen Mureithi cited incompetence, abuse of office, gross misconduct and gross violation of the constitution as some of the grounds for the intended impeachment.
Dr Kariuki’s troubles started when two chief officers could not agree on staff transfers in the health department at the end of April this year.
He is alleged to have disregarded a letter by Chief Officer for Medical Services Charles Nderitu
on irregular transfer of staff members by the Chief Officer for Public Health Josephine Muiru.
‘Instead of arbitrating on the matter, he coerced the Public Health Chief Officer to comply and implement the transfers,’ Mureithi said.
The Executive is also being accused of failing to give an organogram to his Public Health counterpart thus causing confusion and conflict within the Health department.
Some of the affected staff had told the assembly that they received their transfer posting letters via whatsapp and that did not contain job descriptions, thus creating confusion.
The employees said some of the transfers were incidents of reversed roles where employees in higher job groups were required to report to their juniors.
The office of the Speaker received the notice a day after MCAs expressed their anger after Dr Kariuki failed to appear before the General Oversight committee of the assembly chaired by the Speaker. The executive claimed he was held up in a County cabinet meeting.
Dr Kariuki who has al
ready bagged a post in the new SHIF as a national board member might not be a worried person as his two-year contract in the County post is set to end in August this year.
Source: Kenya News Agency