Waititu retreats to Nairobi office as Nyoro takes charge

The governor of Kiambu, Ferdinand Waititu, moved his operations to the city center after he was ordered to stay out of his office until a corruption case he faces is determined.

The decision to move to Nairobi comes in the middle of a division in the county cabinet, with executives divided between supporting the governor or his deputy James Nyoro.

Saturday Nation learned that Waititu has been holding meetings with executives who are loyal to him in his new office on Koinange Street.

One of those meetings took place on Tuesday while Mr. Waititu was waiting to hear the results of an appeal seeking revision of his bail terms, including the order that excluded him from his Kiambu office.

Job positions

The pro-Waititu field is mainly composed of executives who were directly or indirectly involved in their 2017 campaigns, while loyalists to Dr. Nyoro were beneficiaries of a pre-election agreement between the head of the county and a group of Kiambu businessmen who They supported during the campaigns.

Two executives who spoke with confidence to the Saturday Nation said they are not sure who to support, given that the two say they are legitimately in office.

“Not much is happening in Kiambu. Power politics has stalled progress; We are also confused about who to inform, ”said one of the executives.

For most of the week, Waititu held its meetings on the tenth floor of its Koinange Street office, in a building that it recently bought at Jamii Bora Bank.

NO SABOTAGE

Sources close to Waititu said Thursday's court order has seriously affected their daily operations, as the governor cannot consult his juniors.

“You cannot carry out any transaction related to county government projects. Waititu does not like the fact that he has to consult Dr. Nyoro on matters related to Kiambu, ”said an executive who also did not want to be named.



Waititu confirmed that he had been holding meetings in Nairobi, but denied that they aimed to interfere with the operations of the Kiambu delegated government.

“What's wrong with meeting my friends in my building? I have the right to meet whoever I want. My meetings have nothing to do with sabotaging Nyoro. Why sabotage it when I have executive powers? I'm still your boss, ”said the governor.

The building was at the center of the controversy when the city county inspection officers raided it in August last year and arrested Waititu's wife and workers for making improvements without the approval of the authorities concerned.

"STILL IS THE HEAD"

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko stopped the operation after receiving a call from Mr. Waititu.

Dr. Nyoro did not respond to our calls in his next course of action after the decision prohibiting Waititu from handling the affairs of the delegated unit.

However, Waititu said they only prevented him from accessing the county headquarters, "but I still have executive powers."

“The court never reduced my powers to direct the affairs of Kiambu. I can meet with my ministers even at home and discuss issues that affect the people who voted for me, ”Mr. Waititu told the Nation on Saturday by phone on Friday.

Dr. Nyoro has been seeking the support of neighborhood representatives to lead Kiambu County.

This week, the Chief Energy Secretary, Joseph Njoroge, convened a meeting of Kiambu leaders and stakeholders "to discuss development projects."

The vice governor attended the meeting that Mr. Waititu skipped.