Governor Ottichilo gives House nod to impeach CECs
The 10 Vihiga county executives and 16 chief officers are fighting for survival after Governor Wilber Ottichilo appeared to have given the assembly the greenlight to impeach any of them found inefficient.
Dr Ottichilo said he will neither interfere nor come to the defence of any of his senior officials who will be found lazy and sleeping on the job.
He appeared to have thrown his cabinet under the bus, hardly a month after a section of MCAs schemed to have him on the chopping board over a myriad of issues top among them huge pending bills that have disrupted operations.
The latest decision by Dr Ottichilo follows claims by MCAs that he is shielding his officials from the assembly.
It has since emerged that the governor’s move is part of a deal that was reached with the Ward Reps to drop their impeachment plans against him earlier last month.
Dr Ottichilo said the assembly was free to discharge its oversight role as long as they followed the right procedures.
“Where a CECM or chief officer has continuously failed to respond to county assembly summons or gives insufficient information, it is the responsibility of the responsible committees to reprimand those officers up to and including impeachment,” he said.
The governor said county assembly sectoral committees are responsible for oversighting the activities of the executive through the county executive committee members and chief officers.
"It is for this reason that these officers are vetted by the county assembly. Because of that, the county assembly can reprimand them if they fail to discharge their duties," added Dr Ottichilo.
The move by Dr Ottichilo now leaves county executives who have been absconding summons by the assembly, unprotected.
The county boss said there should be no excuse from his officers for failing to provide information to the county assembly.
The governor, however, urged the assembly to follow the right procedures in summoning his senior executives.
"Communication from the county assembly to the executive is through the clerk who communicates directly to the county secretary," he said.
He also urged the 38-member assembly to share committee reports and any other communication with the executive.
Wamuluma/Lugaga ward representative Mr Victor Ijaika said the latest move to put executives in check was part of the deal reached leading to the withdrawal of impeachment plan against the governor.
Mr Ijaika said the assembly will now settle down into checking the county executives and chief officers, with possible impeachments on the table.
"The governor has told us he will no longer protect them. Any senior government staff will be held responsible for his/her actions going forward," said Mr Ijaika.
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