I will not defend my seat if Wambora wins, Embu speaker declares

Embu County Speaker Kariuki Mate has declared that he will not be defending his seat if the current Embu County governor, Martin Wambora, is re-elected for a second term.

The two have had a shaky relationship throughout the five-year period, which has resulted to the speaker leading his MCAs in tabling two impeachment motions against the governor that were twice overruled by the Court of Appeal.

According to the speaker, for a county to achieve its development goals, there must be a good working relationship which observes the principle of separation of power between the speaker of the county assembly and the county governor, something that lacks between him and Wambora.

“There must be respect between the two offices so that the speaker and the governor can effectively share ideas and agree on key policy decisions,” he said.

He, however, pledged to work closely with Governor Wambora to fulfill his constitutional mandate until the expiry of his term in office, in order to ensure that Embu County meets its budgetary obligations heading into the August 8 polls.

Kariuki was speaking at his office during a press briefing yesterday.

Edited by Michael Majanga