Bomet High Court Affirms Ouster of Nyamira Speaker Okero, Declares His Post-Impeachment Actions Null
By Festus Rono
The Bomet High Court has upheld the impeachment of Enock Okero Ogori as the Speaker of the Nyamira County Assembly, ruling that he ceased to hold office as of October 24, 2024.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Julius Kipkosgei Ngarngar, the court declared that all duties undertaken by Okero after his impeachment are null and void.
Justice Ngarngar emphasized that the judiciary would only intervene in such matters if there were procedural irregularities in the impeachment process.
However, he noted that in Okero’s case, the Nyamira County Assembly had followed all the constitutional and procedural requirements.
The court further recognized Thaddeus Nyabaro as the legitimate Speaker of the Nyamira County Assembly, stating that the only outstanding formality was the official gazettement of his position.
“All that remains is for the County Assembly to formally gazette Mr. Nyabaro as Speaker,” Justice Ngarngar ruled.
The court also dismissed any claims related to costs, ordering each party to bear their own expenses in the petition.
The political turmoil in the Nyamira County Assembly began after a failed attempt to impeach Governor Amos Nyaribo. In that motion, 22 Members of County Assembly (MCAs) voted for the governor’s removal, while 12 opposed it—falling short of the required two-thirds majority.
The failure sparked accusations from pro-impeachment MCAs that Speaker Okero had aligned himself with the governor, ultimately triggering his impeachment.
In a critical part of his judgment, Justice Ngarngar declared that the splinter group of MCAs operating under the “Bunge Mashinani” banner—led by the impeached speaker—was illegitimate.
He further affirmed that all official county assembly transactions must be conducted under the authority of the recognized Clerk, Duke Onyari.
The ruling puts to rest months of political wrangling in Nyamira, solidifying the Assembly’s leadership and clearing the way for its legislative agenda to resume under the guidance of Speaker Nyabaro.
