Nakuru residents decry lack of openness and transparency in the public participation exercise on DP Gachagua's impeachment
- Published By Jedida Barasa For The Statesman Digital
- 2 months ago
Nakuru residents have expressed skepticism about the openness of the public participation process on Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's looming impeachment.
Speaking at a public participation venue in Nakuru, the residents raised concerns about the credibility of the public participation process and whether their voice would be heard before the final decision is made.
Citing the issuance of photocopied forms without serial numbers, one of the residents doubted that the process would be open and fair as there would be no way to authenticate that the forms are valid.
“Article 1 of the Constitution gives us the sovereign power. This is day one and I’m here to raise my opinion. But these papers we are supposed to sign are photocopied and don’t even have a serial number. How will we be able to follow up and ensure our feedback was considered?” the resident asked.
Elsewhere in the same county, another resident called out the government over the decision to change venues overnight. The Kenyan claimed that residents were only informed of the changes early Friday morning when they turned up for the exercise.
“I am here to express my opinion on the impeachment of the deputy president. First, we went to the Red Cross offices and found that the meeting wasn’t being held there. That is such a big mistake. The government gazetted the Red Cross office as the meeting venue then switched it overnight and did not inform us,” he said.
This is not the only venue that has been changed as several constituencies across the country also woke up to changes of venues including in Nairobi County when it was switched from the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to the Bomas of Kenya.
Emotions continue to flare up in several constituencies across the country with residents expressing varying opinions on the issue and showing up in droves to exercise their public participation rights.
As public participation was being conducted across the country, tensions boiled over in Nyeri on Friday morning when residents took to the streets to protest the impeachment motion. The residents lit bonfires on the road outside a public participation centre and chanted "No Rigathi, no Ruto. Don't try to touch the mountain. We are strongly behind Gachagua.”
On Thursday, several MPs from Nyeri County who had initially backed the impeachment motion withdrew their support.
Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto, Kieni MP Njoroge Wainaina, Nyeri Woman Representative Rahab Mukami & Embu Woman Representative Pamela Njoki held a press conference on Thursday where they announced they had a change of heart.
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