Waiguru surrounded by backstabbers, Ndambiri claims as war turns ugly

The war of words between Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru and her deputy, Peter Ndambiri, took an ugly turn after the DG accused her of taking advice from people out to taint his reputation.

Ndambiri told Waiguru that she is being misled and that she will regret the mistake when it’s too late.

“What is saddening is that the governor has agreed to be misled to believe that I’m fighting her. Why should I fight my governor? I have forgiven them all. I pity our governor that she has decided to believe lies instead of trying to find the truth,” said the deputy governor.  

The relationship between the two top Kirinyaga County leaders took a nasty turn after Governor Waiguru accused her deputy of being behind a plot to impeach her.

But Ndambiri denied persuading Kirinyaga Count Assembly members to file impeachment motion against Waiguru. 

Nonetheless, the deputy governor is still defiant, insisting that he was not appointed by Waiguru but elected alongside her by Kirinyaga residents.

Despite the fractious relationship, Ndambiri said that he will continue discharging his mandated until the next General Election in 2022.

“I want to inform our governor that she’s surrounded by witches, conmen and backstabbers whose main objective is creating a wedge between us,” Ndambiri sensationally claimed.

The deputy governor made the comments when he addressed residents mourning the death of Kirinyaga’s KANU treasurer, James Waweru Gachibiri, at Kimandi village in Kirinyaga Central Constituency.

Ndambiri made a swipe at the county’s leadership, saying many promises made to the residents during the 2017 election have not been fulfilled because of poor stewardship.

He vowed to ensure that county resources aren’t misused by those entrusted with overseeing the running of the devolved unit.

Impeachment halted

If it were not for the High Court, the former Devolution Cabinet Secretary may have been impeached by the Kirinyaga County ward representatives.

It was Justice Weldon Korir who on April 7, ruled that the Kirinyaga County Assembly should wait for the Covid-19 disease to be contained before continuing the impeachment proceedings against Waiguru.

The judge cited the effects of the coronavirus pandemic as a compelling reason to halt the ward representatives’ gathering in public.

“In my view, the unique circumstances posed by the Covid-19 pandemic impose a duty to the court to interfere with the county assembly’s mandate in so far as the impeachment proceeding is concerned,” he said.

“The governor’s rights are threatened [and] the doctrine of public participation will be violated.”

Waiguru fights back

Two MCAs, Maureen Mwangi and Kepha Kariuki, had filed a suit seeking to halt the proceedings after the motion to impeach Waiguru was tabled before the House on April 1.

The ward representatives who want to kick Waiguru out of office accuse her of gross violation of the Constitution, abuse of office and gross misconduct.

But the governor has fired back at the MCAs, accusing them of focussing on petty and frivolous issues.

Waiguru denied claims that she has benefited from county tenders, terming the charges against her as an embarrassment to the Constitution and propaganda for cheap publicity.