Isiolo Governor Guyo pleads not guilty as three-day impeachment trial begins
National
By
Denis Omondi
| Jul 08, 2025
Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo has denied accusations of abuse of office, gross misconduct, and violation of the Constitution as his three-day impeachment trial began in the Senate on Tuesday morning.
The embattled county chief took the witness stand before Senators and pleaded “not guilty” as the Clerk read out each charge brought forward by the County Assembly.
Among the allegations Guyo is facing include the irregular employment of a bloated workforce, a process that Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) claim bypassed the County Public Service Board.
According to the MCAs, Guyo’s action led to the hiring of 36 advisors, double the legally permitted number of 18; 31 were appointed as chief officers, despite the county having only six departments.
The Assembly also accuses the governor of ignoring its recommendations, including directives on public finance management meant to address the county’s growing debt burden.
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Additionally, an alleged sexist public remark targeting Senator Fatuma Dullo has resurfaced, forming part of the case against the governor, specifically an accusation of gender-based psychological violence.
In their preliminary objections, the governor’s legal team, led by Elisha Ongoya and former LSK President Eric Theuri, challenged the impeachment process on procedural grounds and accused the County Assembly of forging documents presented as evidence.
“It is our submission that these blatant contradictions between the Hansard and other records provided by the Assembly are major indicators of not only misrepresentation but that the documents presented have been cooked and generated outside the Assembly,” said Theuri.
“There was no sitting of the House Business Committee to deliberate on the order papers. There was no sitting of the Assembly on the said day. This phantom impeachment amounts to an affront to the Constitution and sets a very dangerous precedent,” he added.
Governor Guyo is expected to rely on five witnesses in his defense, including Salat Boru Guracha, Habiba Galgalo Jirma, Isiolo County MCA Abdinoor Dima Jilo, and Shaban Mzungu.
On the other side, the County Assembly has assembled a legal team of more than ten lawyers, among them Ekuru Aukot and Paul Nyamodi.
Their witnesses include MCAs Abubakar Abdi Godana, Lorot Nicholas Ewaton, Peter Losu, Lemalentile David Letinina, Anab Kassim, and Abdiraham Mohamed Ibrahim.