Waititu, Kiambu MCAs clash at burial over his impeachment
Drama ensued at a burial ceremony in Gatundu North after former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu engaged MCAs in a heated exchange of words over his untimely ouster from the helm of the county leadership.
Waititu, who was impeached by MCAs and the Senate over alleged gross misconduct and embezzlement of public funds took to the podium after Gatundu AIPCA Bishop Amos Mwangi concluded his sermon.
After giving out his condolence messages to the grieving family, Waititu started pointing fingers at Kiambu County Assembly Speaker Stephen Ndichu whom he accused of receiving instructions from high-profile government officials to facilitate his ouster.
In his words, Waititu who maintained that he did not steal even a coin from the county coffers, claimed that President Uhuru Kenyatta had a hand in his impeachment.
"The MCAs who impeached me are right here and I'm speaking the truth in their presence. I was impeached on flimsy grounds. They know well that the assembly had no quorum but speaker Ndichu received a call from the State House instructing him to write a letter to approve my impeachment. I speak this before God and the altar," he said.
While urging Kiambu residents to give him a second chance to lead the county, Waititu highlighted that he has the capacity to turn around the economic challenges that Kiambu residents are grappling with.
But in a quick rejoinder, Speaker Ndichu and Kiambu County Assembly Majority Leader Elijah Njoroge who were at the burial told off Waititu telling him to stop excuses and deal with his graft cases that are pending in court.
Ndichu at the same time dismissed as a fallacy, claims that he received orders from President Uhuru to execute Waititu's ouster maintaining that due process was followed.
"It is not the work of the Speaker to do headcounts at the assembly; that is the work of clerks. I can assure you that we had a quorum and Waititu's removal from office followed all the due processes. I at no time received a call from President Uhuru to action his impeachment," he said.
Njoroge on the other hand upheld that Waititu was ousted over the illegal acquisition and transfer of land worth Ksh.100 million belonging to Cecilia Mbugua, a widow, in January 2018.
"Theft of a widow's land in Thika and then transferring it to his wife is what irked the assembly members the most. He should stop sideshows and concentrate on returning what he stole from Kiambu," he said.
Njoroge told Kiambu residents to be wary of the former governor saying he is using proceeds of the graft to campaign in his new bid to recapture the seat he left for governor James Nyoro.
The heated exchanges happened at Kanyigi village during the burial of father-in-law of former Gatuanyaga ward MCA Cecelia Wamaitha who died at the age of 96 years.
