Elders advise Kisumu County Assembly Acting Speaker not to resign as an MCA

 The County Assembly of Kisumu during a past session.Elders have advised acting Speaker Elisha Jack Oraro not to resign as an MCA to contest the Speaker's seat during next Friday's election-File Photo.

 By Dickson Odhiambo

 January 19, 2020.

Elders advise Kisumu County Assembly Acting Speaker not to resign as an MCA

A SECTION of elders from Kisumu West Constituency have advised County Assembly of Kisumu Acting Speaker Elisha Jack Oraro not to resign as a member of County Assembly in order to vie for the position of Speaker slated for election next week on Friday.

The Elders say the current acting Speaker who is the Member of County Assembly representing North Kisumu Ward had already been given mandate by the electorates from the area to be their ward representative hence no need for him to resign and contest as the substantive Speaker of the County Assembly of Kisumu.

Addressing the press within Kisumu West Constituency, the Elders led by Nick Atieno, William Andiki, William Akoo Omindo and Tom Okoth Amollo said Oraro should continue with his role as an elected MCA in Kisumu.

“We are kindly advising the North Kisumu Ward who has been acting as the Speaker at the County Assembly of Kisumu not to resign in his position as an elected MCA because this is the position he already has and should not lose it,” they say.

They argue that the electorates within the said ward may not be ready for a by-election that will be in place should the North Kisumu ward MCA Elisha Jack Oraro opt to resign and contest the position of the substantive Speaker of the County Assembly of Kisumu.

They have appealed to the Orange Democratic Party Headquarters to back a Kisumu based Lawyer Kenneth Amondi whom they have described as a very neutral person who will be able to unite the county  Assembly of Kisumu if elected as its next Speaker this January 24.

“The County Assembly of Kisumu seems to be deeply divided after the impeachment of the former Speaker Onyango Oloo and only a neutral person elected as Speaker will be able to unite it,” they further say.

The elders say Amondi has what it takes to be elected the next Speaker of the County Assembly of Kisumu to replace Onyango Oloo whom MCAs impeached last year in September and the court upheld his impeachment in December last year.

“We are of the view  that Lawyer Kenneth Amondi has not been in the politics that has been witnessed within the County Assembly of Kisumu hence is a neutral person who can unite the Assembly if elected as the next Speaker,” they add.

North Kisumu ward Representative Elisha Jack Oraro was elected as an acting Speaker of the county  Assembly of Kisumu last year in September after MCAs impeached the then Speaker George Onyango Oloo.

Oloo later moved to court and contested the decision to impeach him but the court last December upheld his impeachment.

Oloo was to move to court of Appeal to challenge the court’s decision that upheld his impeachment.

Last Week on Thursday January 16, Clerk to the County Assembly of Kisumu advertised a vacancy in the office of the Speaker of the County Assembly of Kisumu.

The advert read in part “Notice is given that the office of Speaker of the County Assembly of Kisumu has fallen vacant; consequently, Pursuant to Article 178 {1} of the constitution of the Republic of Kenya, Section 21 of the Election Act 2011 and Standing Order number 4 of the County Assembly of Kisumu Standing orders, a special Sitting of the county assembly of Kisumu for the purpose of electing the Speaker has been convened on January 24, 2020 at 9:30 am in the Assembly Chamber , Assembly Building,” 

The advert further require persons who are eligible for the selection as the Speaker of the County Assembly in terms of Section 21{1} of the Election Act and Standing Order number 4 and who are contesting for this position are advised to collect nomination papers from the office of the Clerk and return the completed application forms, Nomination papers as well as other relevant documents by next Tuesday January 21.

So far three Lawyers have declared their interests to vie for the position of the Speaker County Assembly of Kisumu. They Kenneth Amondi, Geoffrey Yogo and Jared Sala.

North Ward Kisumu Ward MCA Elisha Jack Oraro who is currently acting as the Speaker of the County Assembly is said to be contemplating resigning as an elected ward representative so as to vie for the position.

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