Photo:K24
Mbooni MP Kisoi Munyao’s petition to have the High Court stop the commission of inquiry on the dissolution of Makueni county government from commencing its proceedings on Thursday April 23 has been dismissed.
Justice Mumbi Ngugi declined to grant the petition to have the public hearings blocked, over what the MP termed as the inquiry’s breach of law, saying Hon. Kisoi was time barred.
The Judge argued that the Mbooni legislator had ample time from November last year when the petition was presented to President Uhuru Kenyatta to settle down the matter and that suspending the Mohammed Nyaoga- led commission on such a short notice would be an injustice to the residents of Makueni.
The MP had earlier Wednesday April 22 filed a case seeking to have the inquiry suspended arguing that many residents did not understand the dissolution petition.
Hon. Kisoi had also stated that, the reasons for the dissolution have never been made public and a majority of residents were not in a position to participate effectively or make informed choices in the public hearings scheduled by the commission.
“To date the commission has never published or publicized the actual petition that is the subject of their intended proceedings scheduled to commence on Thursday 23 ,how does the commission expect the residents to effectively submit statements of a petition whose contents they have never seen?”he posed.
In the case filed as urgent, the legislator further argued that the county government did not organize any civic education forums to educate the residents on the need for the petition and subsequent implications before agreeing to file it.
The move by the legislator created a buzz on the social media among residents of Makueni county who took to Facebook to express their views on the same.
Those who lauded the MP for the move said that dissolution will not solve the problems affecting the common man.
However, those opposed to Kisoi said a bigger force was behind his move to go to court seeking to stop the inquiry.
Others took a neutral stand and called for development and public participation from the people of Makueni
Kisoi has been one of the fiercest critics of Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana since he took office and has been on record calling on the Governor and the Makueni County Assembly Members (MCAs) to broker a truce and serve the electorate.
The youthful MP has never supported dissolution and his move to stop the inquiry on suspension of the county therefore did not come as surprise to many of the residents who know him as a political nemesis of the Governor.
The decision by Justice Mumbi to dismiss the petition has dealt a major blow to the opponents of dissolution especially the MCAs whose jobs will be put on the line if the county is suspended.
