Ruto allies hint at plot to impeach CS Matiang’i
Lawmakers allied to Deputy President William Ruto have accused the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the ruling Jubilee Party of plotting to impeach Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and governors James Nyoro (Kiambu) and Francis Kimemia (Nyandarua) over the just ended by-elections.
Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah yesterday claimed MPs allied to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Handshake partner Raila Odinga were scheming to impeach Matiang’i and the two governors over the Bonchari, Juja constituencies and Rurii ward mini polls.
“The impeachment motion is certainly not from us (Tanga Tanga). It is between Kieleweke and ODM.
ODM wants to impeach Matiang’i because they lost in Bonchari, Kieleweke wants to impeach Kimemia and Nyoro because they lost in Nyandarua and Juja respectively,” he stated.
“Why threaten and intimidate a young lady for speaking her mind over Kiambaa? You just can’t learn.
The politics of coercion has no place in modern day Kenya. You may intimidate Damaris but the people will have their say. So now threats to impeach Kimemia, Nyoro and Matiang’i are real,” he tweeted.
He, however, vowed to oppose any attempts to impeach the trio, saying it was part of the Jubilee’s party’s culture of high handedness.
“I will not support such motion because it amounts to perpetuating the culture of high handedness that we have always opposed. Even though I have no time for Matiang’i myself, I will defend him against the culture of high handedness,” he told People Daily.
But in a quick rejoinder, Kimemia dismissed Ichung’wah claims, terming them a “plot by Tanga Tanga” to create rifts among President Uhuru Kenyatta’s supporters.
Creates rift
“I have not heard of such a plot. In any case you only impeach someone for what he is responsible for. I was not responsible for the by-elections, neither was Matiang’i or Nyoro.
What I know is that the Tanga Tanga wing wants to exploit the by-elections to create rifts among the President’s allies by creating imaginary plots and you will hear many of them as we go on,” he said.
Ichung’wah denied that Belgut MP Nelson Koech was spearheading the collection of signatures to impeach Matiang’i over alleged police brutality during the by-elections.
“Koech never said he is collecting signatures to impeach Matiang’i. Such a scheme is certainly not from our side,” he stated.
Efforts to get a comment from Koech did not bear fruit as he neither picked our calls nor responded to our text messages.
But sources close to him hinted that he had dropped the impeachment plans. “They have been taken over by ODM,” said the source who, sought anonymity.
The anti-Matiang’i plot gained momentum in the aftermath of the by-elections after he was criticised by Raila over the manner the security agencies handled the exercise, terming it an arrogant display of impunity by a few overzealous government officials.
