New gazetted Isiolo County Assembly Speaker Banticha Jaldesa. Photo: Banticha Jaldesa X.
Isiolo County Assembly has been marred with, drama chaos and leadership crisis, since the tabling of impeachment motion against Governor Abdi Guyo.
In a fresh drama, a legal battle is brewing, after fresh legal battle has been filed to challenge the appointment of a new Speaker by County assembly Clerk Salad Boru. Fredrick Onyango Ogola, from Operation Linda Jamii a registered Community-Based Organization (CBO) has filed a certificate of urgency seeking to block the appointment of Abdullahi Jaldesa Banticha as the new
Earlier, Deputy County Speaker and Oldonyiro MCA David Lemantile, has dismissed the gazette notice of the new speaker as null and void, and furth declared that they will not neither honour the notice or allow Banticha in the County Assembly Chambers.
According to the Ogola, Jaldesa’s appointment via Gazette Notice No. 8667 dated June 26, 2025, is unconstitutional and was done without due process.
The petition argues that there was no legitimate vacancy in the Office of the Speaker since the current Speaker, Mohammed Roba Koto had neither resigned nor been lawfully removed. Roba, had dismissed the claims of resignation, reinforcing that he is still in-charge.
The petitioner further claims the move is a blatant violation of the Constitution and the County Governments Act, and that the 2nd respondent (Jaldesa) intends to unlawfully and forcibly take over the Speaker’s role.
The court has been urged to issue interim orders barring Jaldesa from assuming office and to stop the Clerk of the Assembly and the Government Printer from enforcing the gazettement, further demanding that those involved including the Clerk of the County Assembly, the CEC for Finance, and the Government Printer to step aside to allow for investigations.
The motion lists 25 individuals and institutions as respondents and interested parties, including 16 Isiolo MCAs, the Attorney General, the Law Society of Kenya and the Katiba Institute.
The petitioner warns that unless the court intervenes urgently, the constitutionally protected structure of county governance will be compromised. The matter is awaiting the court’s direction on the date it will be heard.
