IEBC approves petition seeking to suspend Taita Taveta County Govt

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has approved a petition seeking to suspend the Taita Taveta County Government led by Governor Granton Samboja.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said the commission said the petition had met the required threshold of support from at least  10 percent of the registered voters in the county.

According to IEBC, the petition has been supported by 21,861 registered voters of Taita Taveta County.

There are 155,000 voters in Taita Taveta with the law requiring signatures from at least 10 percent of the total voters translating to 15,500 signatures.

“The Commission has since completed verification exercise and confirms that the petition has been supported by 21,861 registered voters of Taita Taveta County. This is to notify the public and all stakeholders that the petition has met the requisite statutory threshold,” reads the statement in part.

The report will now be forwarded to President Uhuru Kenyatta who will within 14 days submit a report on grounds to suspend the county to the apex intergovernmental body which comprises of the President and all governors.

Upon approval from the apex body, the President shall appoint a commission to inquire into the matter and approved by the senate.

The report from the commission shall be forwarded to the President who then takes the report to the speaker of the senate who initiates a motion of suspension of the county government.

However, the approval of the petition by IEBC comes on a day when the Governor and the Members of County Assembly, who had recently impeached him, called truce after a four month rift.

After a meeting with the MCAs on Wednesday, Governor Samboja assented to the supplementary budget estimates for 2019/20 forwarded to him by the county assembly.

The MCAs have been in a standoff with Governor Samboja after he failed to approve the budget in June 2019.