Lamu County Assembly rejects deputy governor nominee for the second time
By Lucy Mumbi |
Of the 19 Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), only 13 attended the session. Nine voted against the motion, four supported it, while six abstained.
Lamu County Assembly has rejected Governor Issa Timamy’s deputy governor nominee, James Gichu, for the second time.
During a session held on Tuesday, a motion to approve Gichu’s nomination, tabled by Leader of Majority and Kiunga Ward Representative Mohamed Bwana, failed to secure the required simple majority vote.
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Of the 19 Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), only 13 attended the session. Nine voted against the motion, four supported it, while six abstained.
Approval of a deputy governor nominee requires at least 10 votes in favour, representing 51 per cent of the assembly.
The latest rejection follows a similar outcome on October 30, when a previous motion to approve Gichu ended in a tie.
On that occasion, 18 MCAs were present, with nine voting in favour of the motion and nine against it, failing to meet the simple majority threshold.
The proceedings were brief, with no debate or explanations from MCAs regarding their decisions.
Majority Leader Bwana Bunu clarified that the tie in votes left the Speaker with no choice but to reject the nomination as per procedure.
“It was a split decision, and due to the tie, the Speaker had to follow procedure and automatically reject the nomination,” he explained.
Nominated MCA Ahmed Medo echoed this, emphasising that the Speaker’s ruling was in line with Assembly protocol. “When a tie occurs, Assembly protocol dictates that the nomination cannot proceed, so the Speaker was compelled to rule against the appointment,” he stated.
Governor Issa appointed Gichu on October 16, over a month after the passing of former Deputy Governor Raphael Munyua Ndung'u on September 6 while undergoing treatment in a Nairobi hospital.
Gichu, who previously served as the County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Irrigation, and Food Security, was nominated in accordance with the law, which mandates that a deputy governor position left vacant due to death must be filled through an appointment by the governor, subject to the county assembly’s approval.
Governor Issa has now spent more than two and a half months without a deputy governor, a situation that continues to strain the operations of his office, as the deputy is required to assist in executing specific constitutional duties.
With the latest rejection, Timamy is expected to return to the drawing board to nominate a new candidate for the position.
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