Isiolo governor pleads not guilty to all three charges

Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo has pleaded not guilty to all the charges levelled against him in his impeachment trial before the Senate.

He entered the not guilty plea as the Senate began a two-day impeachment trial against him.

Sixteen out of 18 MCAs voted to impeach him on June 26, 2025.

The governor faces three broad charges: gross violation of the Constitution, gross misconduct, and abuse of office.

Under gross violation, Guyo is accused of, among other things, failing to deliver an annual State of the County address for three consecutive years, employing a bloated workforce, disregarding the criteria for the establishment of offices within the County Public Service, and refusing to implement the County Assembly's recommendations requiring him to control and manage the county’s public debt.

He is also accused of failing to utilise bursary funds in accordance with the approved budget, resulting in a discrepancy of Sh30 million, which cannot be accounted for.

Under the charge of abuse of office, the governor is accused of appointing 36 advisors to the Office of the Governor contrary to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) circular dated July 29, 2013.

He is also said to have appointed 31 Chief Officers instead of the 18 provided for in the County Executive staff establishment of July 2022.

Further, he is accused of hiring Chief Officers on two-year contracts, thereby creating a climate of fear and uncertainty contrary to Article 73(1)(b) of the Constitution.

He is also said to have failed to renew the contracts of County Executive Committee Members and appointed two Deputy County Secretaries to positions not recognised in law or provided for in the County Staff Establishment.

Under the charge of gross misconduct, the County Assembly accuses Guyo of making public statements deemed disrespectful and sexist toward Sen. Fatuma Adan Dullo, the Senator for Isiolo County, in violation of the principles of leadership and integrity.

He is also accused of breaching public trust by making divisive, derogatory, and discriminatory remarks against other clans residing in the county and by being consistently absent from the county, instead running its affairs remotely from Nairobi, thereby stalling service delivery.