The Anchor Writer

The Senate has stepped in to address the protracted standoff at the Machakos County Assembly, summoning Speaker Anne Kiusya,  Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), and key Assembly officials to explain the indefinite suspension of House sittings.

A letter dated May 20, 2025, from Senate Clerk J.M. Nyengenye directed the speaker, the acting clerk of the county assembly, and MCAs to appear before the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations on Tuesday, May 27, at 9:00 a.m.

This follows a formal request by Machakos Senator Agnes Kavindu Muthama, who asked the Committee to clarify the legal and procedural grounds for the unilateral suspension of sittings. The Assembly has been dormant since April 8, after Speaker Kiusya cited threats to her life and those of MCAs and staff following chaos during a House Business Committee meeting.

Senator Kavindu also wants the Committee to clarify whether salaries and allowances will continue to be paid to the Speaker, MCAs, and staff during the shutdown.

The Committee has asked the Speaker to furnish documents including the Assembly’s calendar, its Standing Orders, her letter suspending the assembly, and any evidence of the alleged threats. Her written response is due today Friday, May 23.

At the centre of the crisis is an impeachment motion against Kiusya, initiated by Majority Leader Nicholas Nzioka, who accused her of incompetence and misconduct. It is believed that Nzioka is acting at the behest of Governor Wavinya Ndeti. Relations between Kiusya and Ndeti went south after the speaker adopted a strict approach over the assembly’s oversight role and pressed to have Wavinya’s untouchable Finance Minister Onesmus Kuyu appear befote thr assembly for questioning.

However, the High Court issued two separate injunctions- one for the intial impeachment motion and another for a fresh impeachment motion introduced on March 8, the day the opposing camps staged a fist fight during a House Business Committee meeting the speaker was presiding over.

The injunctions were issued March 19 and April 5—barring the Assembly from proceeding with the ouster. Justice Rhoda Rutto ruled that the Speaker’s petitions must be heard and determined first.

Despite these court orders, a group of 33 MCAs—believed to be acting at the behest of Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti—has sustained pressure for the Speaker’s removal. The clash reflects deepening political divisions within the county leadership.

Speaker Kiusya’s critics say she is hiding behind court orders and the Assembly shutdown to evade accountability, while her defenders argue that she is protecting the Assembly’s oversight role, integrity and safety of staff, MCAs and her own.

This comes as the Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka proved unable to resolve what is essentially a political problem with loud overtones of grand corruption in and outside the Assembly.

With the Senate stepping in, the next round of deliberations in Nairobi may determine the future of the Machakos County Assembly.

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