Kiambu voter in court to block removal of Governor Wamatangi

A voter has moved to court seeking to block the government from removing Governor Paul Kimani Wamatangi and replacing him with his Deputy, Rosemary Njeri Kirika.

In an urgent application, Stephen Mwangi Kimani, a registered voter from Limuru Constituency, wants the court to stop both the removal of current Governor Wamatangi and the planned swearing-in of his deputy as the substantive county boss, arguing the move is politically motivated and unconstitutional.

“The court be pleased to issue an injunction barring Wamatangi’s deputy from being sworn in as the Governor of Kiambu County or taking over leadership without justice, pending the hearing and determination of the present petition,” Kimani states.

Kimani is also urging the court to bar investigative agencies from arresting or prosecuting Governor Wamatangi over alleged corruption claims amounting to over Sh1.5 billion, which he terms as a politically orchestrated witch hunt.

“The court be pleased to issue conservatory orders barring the DPP, EACC, and National Police Service from investigating or arresting my Governor Wamatangi pending the hearing and determination of the petition,” he adds.

According to court papers, Kimani accuses the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the National Police Service of harassing Wamatangi for political reasons.

“Unless the court intervenes to stop the ongoing harassment of Governor Wamatangi, the rights of Kiambu residents to development as provided by the Constitution will be prejudiced,” he argues.

Kimani further claims that coordinated efforts to oust Wamatangi have been actively spread by political bloggers on WhatsApp groups and Facebook platforms such as Uteti wa Limuru, Uteti wa Kiambu, Limuru Sub-county Politics, Limuru Trending, and Limuru Notice Board.

“According to sources close to his political rivals and bold bloggers on various social platforms, it is evident this is a political witch hunt aimed at toppling Governor Wamatangi’s leadership to unlawfully install Deputy Governor Rosemary Njeri Kirika through the backdoor,” Kimani says in his affidavit.

He alleges the bloggers have insider knowledge and are working with Wamatangi’s political enemies who are misusing state institutions to fabricate corruption charges, preventing the governor from executing his duties.

“Since the Kiambu County Assembly had no valid accusations against Governor Wamatangi, his political enemies have devised a new strategy: to weaponise state agencies and fabricate criminal offenses to remove him from office,” the affidavit adds.

Kimani contends that this political harassment violates Wamatangi’s fundamental constitutional rights and freedoms, insisting that suspending any action against the governor is essential while the petition is heard.

“The respondents will not be prejudiced in any way if the orders sought herein are granted,” he concludes.

The lawsuit comes weeks after EACC detectives raided Governor Wamatangi’s home on April 15, 2025, escorting him to Nairobi’s Integrity Centre for questioning.

The ongoing probe targets several county officials, including County Secretary Peter Njoroge Ndegwa, Finance CEC Nancy Njeri Kirumba, Lands CEC Salome Muthoni Wainaina, and Finance Chief Officer William Kinyanjui Kimani.

EACC is investigating, among other issues, a Sh230 million contract awarded to Filtronic International for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, as well as questionable payments made for non-existent services.

Preliminary findings indicate violations of procurement rules and possible collusion between county officials and private firms to siphon public funds.