Wajir’s MCAs Files Notice To Impeach Governor Mohamed Abdi

The winter is here for Wajir’s Governor Mohamed Abdi after the county assembly members filed a notice to impeach the governor moved by Benane ward representative Abdi Mohamed Sheikh. This comes after a lengthy wrangles with a section of the MCAs.

Abdi now joins the long list of governors who’ve been facing the wrath of impeachment from their county assemblies. Abdi is accused of a series of corruption deals and abuse of office.

The notice came after negotiations and lobbying by elders, regional political leaders hit a block from saving the governor.

In a detailed 12-page motion now before the clerk, 23 out of the 49 MCAs are satisfied that the contents that are yet to be made public are strong enough to sustain it through.

In 2019, the Governor was on the limelight after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) froze accounts claimed to belong his nephew in a corruption purge.

According to EACC, a graft ring involving family members at the county conspired to defraud Ksh.26 million in purchase of two luxury vehicles for the county but instead, only one second-hand vehicle was purchased at an inflated price and a balance of Ksh.12 million was allegedly diverted to a spouse’s account for unknown reasons.

Court documents indicate bank accounts of Daayo Construction and General Supplies Limited and Fine Trust Construction Company domiciled at the Kenya Commercial Bank Wajir branch have been frozen for six months.

Equally, the vehicle, a second-hand Toyota Landcruiser v8 purchased at Ksh.14 million was impounded for inspection and valuation.

The accounts belong to Osman Abdi Jimale and Ahmed Abdi Jimale — Directors of Daayo Construction and General Supplies Limited — and Yasmin Jama Abdullahi as the Director of Fine Trust Company Limited.

According to EACC, Yasmin is the wife of Osman Abdi Jimale, an alleged nephew of Wajir Governor Mohammed Abdi, with the trio allegedly forming a ring to fleece the county Ksh.26 million.

EACC claims the money had not been budgeted for in the county’s 2017/2018 financial year, but on July 2, 2018 Ksh. 26 million was paid to Daayo for the purchase of two vehicles for the county government.

A day later, on July 3, 2018, the company transferred Ksh.14 million to Cosmos Cars Limited for the purchase of the vehicles and on the same day, the balance of Ksh.12 million was transferred to Fine Trust Limited, a company linked to Osman Jimale’s wife Yasmin.

On July 4, 2018, Daayo and Cosmos Cars Limited got into a sale agreement of a second hand Toyota Land-cruiser at Ksh.14 million shillings — a price EACC claims was overly inflated for only one vehicle instead of two as required by the county government

To murky the waters, EACC allege the vehicle KCQ 004U Toyota Land-cruiser v8 has never been transferred to the county government of Wajir and remains registered in the name of the dealer Cosmos Cars Limited