Revealed: State House night call that ended Beatrice Elachi's reign as Nairobi Speaker

Revealed: State House night call that ended Elachi's reign as Nairobi Speaker

Tony Mukere

August 12, 2020 10:41 AM

New strategy to deal with Sonko

County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi

Details have emerged on the unseen hand of State House in the resignation of Nairobi Speaker Beatrice Elachi.

Multiple reports indicate that Elachi received a call from State House on Monday night, directing her to resign the next morning.

On Tuesday, the Nairobi Speaker announced that she would be leaving office but instead of directing her resignation notice to the County Assembly as per the law, she addressed it to President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Today I humbly relinquish my position as the Speaker of Nairobi. I want to thank the President for giving me the opportunity to serve for the past three years."

"Now we have NMS and I think it will be able to transform the city. Because I wouldn’t want someone to die here because of myself or anything else, let me thank him (Uhuru) for the opportunity and just leave,” said Elachi.

The decision to have Elachi exit the Speaker's seat was reportedly made two weeks ago when President Kenyatta met with Nairobi MCAs allied to the Jubilee Party.

The MCAs blamed Elachi as a major factor for the chaos that have hit the County Assembly in the past one year.

Politicians allied to President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga have also been quoted that the exit of the Speaker is part of a wider strategy to tame Sonko who has been a major impediment block to the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS).

The former Speaker is expected to be appointed to another public office as a consolation for her loyalty to the President.

Tony Mukere