Governor Mutai petitions Ruto to dissolve Kericho county government

Embattled Kericho Governor Erick Mutai has formally requested President William Ruto to dissolve Kericho County Government citing irreconcilable differences between the executive and assembly.

Dr Mutai made the announcement at the county headquarters hours after a notice of motion to remove him from office was presented in the County Assembly on Wednesday. He asserted that he would not succumb to what he called "blackmail" by Assembly Speaker Patrick Mutai.

"I am therefore officially pursuing a constitutional petition for the dissolution of the County Government of Kericho under Article 192 of the Constitution of Kenya," he stated.

To rally support for the initiative, the governor revealed that his administration would begin collecting signatures throughout the county to back his call for dissolution and formally petition the President.

"Let’s go for a fresh election and let the people decide who should lead them. My administration will not continue in this manner. We will not be held hostage. We hope that when the President receives Kericho’s petition, he will respect the people’s will and allow us all to seek a fresh mandate," he said.

Mutai expressed willingness to appear before the County Assembly next week to defend himself against accusations of gross constitutional violations.

The notice of impeachment follows an Ad Hoc Committee report from the County Assembly into irregular payments of KSh 80 million made by senior county officials. The committee has recommended the dismissal of the Finance CEC and administrative actions against seven Chief Officers.

However, the governor alleged that the committee’s findings were manipulated, claiming that money had "changed hands" to influence the outcome of the report.

Mutai also regretted picking Deputy Governor Fred Kirui, saying he has now become the whistleblower in the Assembly probe that led to the impeachment motion against him.