Governor Wavinya now backs speaker's impeachment after blocking ouster
Renewed attempts to impeach the Machakos County Assembly Speaker have emerged amid ongoing unrest within the assembly.
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has now openly withdrawn her backing for embattled County Assembly Speaker Anne Kiusya, signaling Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) that they are free to proceed with impeachment efforts.
Governor Ndeti, who had previously stepped in on two occasions to shield Kiusya from being ousted, shared the change in position through a statement posted on X on Friday, April 11, 2025.
The Machakos County boss stated that she would no longer shield the Speaker, suggesting that Kiusya must now solely navigate her strained relationship with the dissatisfied MCAs.
"I am not involved in the standoff between the Machakos County Assembly Speaker and the MCAs. I’ve already intervened twice to stop her impeachment. It’s not my role to babysit the Assembly. The Speaker must find her own way to work with the MCAs," the governor posted.
Alongside her statement, Governor Ndeti shared a video recounting a previous occasion when she hosted a meeting at her residence to block an impeachment motion against Speaker Kiusya—one that had the unanimous backing of all 59 MCAs.
“Maneno ya county assembly of Machakos I have saved the Speaker twice when she was being impeached by the County Assembly. The last time walisign 59 wao wote wamtoe nikawaita kwangu, hawakujua speaker alikua hapo – sikutaka kuenda kwa ofisi because of embarrassment. They came to my place they found the speaker tukaongea wakacool down,” Governor Ndeti explained in the video, using a mix of Swahili and English.
English Translation: "About the County Assembly of Machakos, I have saved the Speaker twice when she was being impeached by the county assembly. The last time, 59 MCAs signed to impeach her, but I called them to my residence; they didn't know the Speaker was there. I didn't want to go the office because of embarrassment. We engaged, and matters cooled down."
The Machakos governor voiced her surprise over the renewed efforts to impeach the Speaker, questioning how she had ended up facing the same situation again despite earlier interventions intended to resolve the initial conflict.
"Tukakubaliana vitu tatu; Speaker asitolewe, wale wote walikua wanataka kumtoa wasivictimiziwe kila mtu aachwe kwa ile position yake na wale hawana committees wapatiwe committees. Now, if they failed to do that, is that my problem? Hiyo ni shida yangu? So mimi bado tu nitaongea na wao but also I am not here to babysit anybody – speaker ajue vile atakaa na members wa assembly," she stated.
English Translation: "We agreed on three matters; the Speaker shouldn't be impeached; all those who wanted to impeach her should not be victimized; everyone should be left alone to go back to their position and those not holding committee positions should be given. Now, if they failed to do that, is that my problem? Is that my problem? So, I will still speak to them, but I'm not here to babysit anybody. The Speaker should figure out how to get along with the Members of the County Assembly."
Renewed attempts to impeach the Machakos County Assembly Speaker have emerged amid ongoing unrest within the assembly.
Tensions peaked on April 8, 2025, when opposing factions confronted each other over the Speaker’s possible ouster, leading to chaotic scenes.
In response, Speaker Kiusya halted all assembly sessions indefinitely, citing security threats and personal safety concerns.
The impeachment motion arises from a wave of discontent among MCAs, who accuse the Speaker of incompetence and corruption.