Court stops removal of Isiolo Speaker Abdullahi Banticha as county leadership wrangles worsen

Justice Hellen Wasilwa also certified the speaker’s petition as urgent. (Photo: File)

By Lucy Mumbi
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Justice Hellen Wasilwa issued conservatory orders barring any attempt to degazette or remove Banticha from office, pending the determination of a petition he filed challenging attempts to revoke his appointment.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi has temporarily halted the removal of Isiolo County Assembly Speaker Abdullahi Jaldesa Banticha, deepening the leadership crisis paralysing operations in the devolved unit.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Justice Hellen Wasilwa issued conservatory orders barring any attempt to degazette or remove Banticha from office, pending the determination of a petition he filed challenging attempts to revoke his appointment.

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“In the interim, no action be taken removing or degazetting the applicant as the Speaker of the Respondent,” Justice Wasilwa ruled, stressing the need to maintain the status quo until the matter is fully heard.

Justice Wasilwa also certified Banticha’s petition as urgent and directed that it be served on the Government Press and the State Law Office, named as respondents in the case, ahead of an inter partes hearing set for July 17, 2025.

Banticha moved to court after Assembly Clerk Salad Guracha published a gazette notice on Monday revoking his appointment. In his court papers, Banticha argued that his removal was illegal and sought protection against what he termed as politically motivated attempts to oust him.

The dispute has laid bare deep divisions within the Isiolo County Assembly, where parallel power structures continue to emerge.

Banticha was recently gazetted as speaker, replacing Mohamed Koto, who had earlier overseen a botched impeachment attempt against Governor Abdi Guyo. The failed motion has left the Assembly deeply polarised.

During recent Senate deliberations, legislators were told the Assembly is currently operating with two rival speakers and two clerks, each faction claiming legitimacy. The revelation shocked senators, prompting calls for immediate intervention to resolve the impasse.

Senator Fatuma Dullo questioned Banticha’s appointment, alleging that his election was conducted irregularly.

“The Government Printer, a very sensitive department in this country, gazetted a speaker elected by only two members of the Assembly,” Dullo said on the Senate floor.

“This is unacceptable and raises serious legal and ethical questions. There must be a thorough audit of the Assembly’s leadership processes.”

According to official documents, Clerk Guracha, who revoked Banticha’s appointment, had previously been suspended by Speaker Koto. Koto went on to appoint a replacement clerk. However, Guracha challenged the suspension in court and was reinstated, adding to the leadership confusion.

The court’s intervention has now brought operations at the Isiolo Assembly to a standstill, as residents and political observers await the outcome of the pending legal battle that could shape the county’s governance moving forward.