Nyamira County has plunged into a bizarre and unprecedented constitutional crisis, operating with not one, but two parallel county assemblies — each claiming legitimacy and holding sittings in separate chambers.
The shocking revelations came to light during a Senate Devolution Committee session, leaving lawmakers dumbfounded and deeply concerned about the state of devolution in the county.
The unfolding drama centers around embattled Speaker Enock Okero, who was controversially impeached four months ago. Despite his removal, Okero has refused to relinquish his authority, instead gazetting four alternative locations now termed as Bunge Mashinani, where he and his faction continue to hold what they insist are lawful assembly sessions. According to Okero, the main County Assembly chambers are a “no-go zone” due to threats and hostility, forcing them to operate from satellite venues.
Meanwhile, the rival faction led by Deputy Speaker Thaddeus Nyabaro, who has declared himself the new Speaker, also holds its own parallel sittings — ironically, within the official assembly premises. Each faction has gone as far as independently writing to the Office of the Controller of Budget, seeking authorization to withdraw public funds, leading to mass confusion and a near-administrative shutdown.
In a tense Senate hearing, Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o admitted that her office has been receiving correspondences from both factions, but with no legal clarity on which group holds legitimate power. “We have two assemblies sending budget requests. We don’t know which letter to process. It’s confusing and dangerous,” she told the committee.
The chaos almost turned physical during the session when Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni and Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka got into a heated verbal exchange that nearly escalated into a fistfight. The Senators, representing neighboring counties with deeply intertwined politics, hurled accusations across the room, each defending their preferred faction in what has now become a bitter regional power struggle.
To make matters worse, Okero’s impeachment case is still active in court, meaning there is no clear legal resolution yet. Each group returned to Nyamira after the Senate session, sticking to their hardline positions and vowing to continue with their respective Wednesday sittings — further deepening the standoff.
The situation has raised serious concerns about the abuse of public resources, lack of oversight, and breakdown of governance in the devolved unit. It also exposes significant gaps in Kenya’s constitutional framework on how to handle disputed leadership in county assemblies.
As the tug-of-war escalates, the people of Nyamira are caught in the crossfire of political chaos, with service delivery and county operations at risk of total paralysis. Kenyans are now watching closely, wondering how long this circus will go on — and whether the Senate or judiciary can rein in the growing crisis before it spirals completely out of control.
