Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo on Tuesday firmly denied all three impeachment charges against him as the Senate commenced a heated hearing into his possible removal from office, following a motion passed by the Isiolo County Assembly.
Appearing before a plenary session of the Senate, a defiant Governor Hassan rejected accusations read out by Senate Clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye, dismissing them as politically motivated and legally flawed.
At the centre of the impeachment are damning allegations that paint a picture of lawless governance, rampant abuse of office, and gross misconduct during Hassan’s three-year tenure.
The County Assembly has accused Governor Hassan of violating the Constitution and other laws on a regular basis. The most serious charge is that he failed to deliver the mandatory annual State of the County Address for three consecutive years, which the Assembly says is against the County Governments Act.
Further, the governor is accused of presiding over a ballooning wage bill by hiring 36 advisors and 31 Chief Officers—despite the county having only six departments. He also created two Deputy County Secretary positions that are not legally recognized.
The result, the Assembly claims, is a wage bill that has hit 46% of the county’s total revenue—well above the legal 35% threshold set by the Public Finance Management Regulations.
The Assembly further claims that Hassan sank the county into unmanageable debt by ignoring resolutions on public debt management and circumventing the County Public Service Board while establishing new departments. The Assembly claims that Kshs. 30 million in bursary money are still unaccounted for and were never disbursed as authorized, which is quite concerning.
Abuse of Office
Governor Hassan is also accused of running the county like a personal fiefdom. The Assembly says he blatantly defied legal staffing limits and regulatory guidelines by appointing dozens of advisors and Chief Officers far beyond the allowable number.
According to reports, these selections disregarded the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee’s and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s orders.
The governor is also held accountable for causing administrative instability in the county by neglecting to extend the contracts of members of the County Executive Committee.
Another example of egregious misuse of authority is the establishment of positions that never existed, such as the two Deputy County Secretaries. In the final charge, the governor is charged with using divisive and disrespectful language to violate the integrity of the Constitution and leadership ideals.
The Assembly claims that his acts have damaged public trust in his leadership. He is accused of using clan-based discrimination in public utterances and making sexist and rude remarks directed at Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo.
Additionally, Governor Hassan is accused of absentee leadership, allegedly operating from Nairobi instead of Isiolo. The Assembly claims this remote management approach has crippled county operations and service delivery.
The proceedings took a legal turn after Governor Hassan’s lead counsel, Mr. Elisha Ongoya, raised two preliminary objections. He challenged the validity of the impeachment motion, citing a court ruling, and questioned the legality of the County Assembly sittings that passed the motion.
“There is no valid Motion before you. We ask this House to stand down these proceedings,” Ongoya urged.
But the County Assembly’s lawyer, Mr. Paul Nyamodi, hit back, urging Senators to disregard the court ruling and uphold the independence of the legislature.
“The courts must not interfere with legislative processes. The separation of powers must be protected,” he argued.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi directed that the House would issue a ruling on the preliminary objections later Tuesday. If the Senate votes to proceed, the County Assembly will begin presenting its evidence, followed by the Governor’s defense on Wednesday.
Both sides are expected to call witnesses in what could become one of the most politically charged and consequential impeachment trials in recent county history.
