Sakaja misses Gachagua’s impeachment trial at the senate where he was expected to be a key witness.
He was in Mexico City for the Bloomberg Citylab summit.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s absence at D P Rigathi Gachagua’s first impeachment trial on Wednesday has raised a lot of questions.
Sakaja, who was expected to be a key witness in the Senate trial, was listed by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi among the National Assembly’s witnesses. However, he was nowhere near Parliament when the session started.
The governor was in Mexico City for the Bloomberg CityLab 2024 summit, where he featured as one of the keynote speakers.
An event schedule confirmed that the Sakaja joined discussions on urban governance, highlighting the role of youth in shaping city policies.
“Later today, Bloomberg CityLab reporter Fola Akinnibi will join Governor H.E. Sakaja Arthur Johnson of Nairobi, Kenya, to talk about what cities can learn from putting young people at the heart of decision-making.’’
The Nairobi Governor was expected to shed light on accusations levelled against the Deputy President, which form the basis of an impeachment motion tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse.
He had submitted an affidavit which accused Gachagua of unlawfully interfering with Nairobi County’s operations, including the relocation of traders from Wakulima Market to Kangundo Road Market.
According to the affidavit, the Deputy President allegedly violated the principle of separation of powers by holding rallies that incited the public against lawful county decisions.
Moreover, Sakaja accused Gachagua of using ethnic sentiments to disrupt efforts to reorganise traffic within Nairobi, particularly in relocating matatu terminals. He argued that such actions undermined the county government’s mandate and questioned the integrity of devolution in Kenya.
His absence from the Senate hearing caught many by surprise, including Gachagua’s lawyer Ndegwa Njiru, who took to X social media platform to express his anticipation of cross-examining Sakaja.
