Douglas Mbilu the immediate speaker of Makueni County Assembly has been reelected after garnering 26 Votes against Prof. Philip Kaloki’s 21 in the second round of voting.
In the first round, Mbilu led with 25 votes as Kaloki followed with 22 votes. No candidate got the two-thirds then necessitating a second round.
Mbilu wanted to contest for Makueni parliamentary seat but Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka promised him the speaker’s seat for a second time. However, last weekend Kalonzo distanced himself from the Speaker contest in the Ukambani counties.
Prof. Philip Kaloki was vying with Polycarp Igathe in the Nairobi gubernatorial seat and lost to Johnson Sakaja of Kenya Kwanza. Kaloki lost the Makueni gubernatorial seat in 2013 and later the senatorial by-elections after the death of Mutula Kilonzo. In 2017 he lost Kibwezi East parliamentary race to Jessica Mbalu.
Stephen Ngelu who served as the first Makueni speaker withdrew from the race before the voting. Ngelu had earlier failed to clinch the Kibwezi East parliamentary seat for the second time.
Others who withdrew from the race are Dennis Mungata and Muema Ndungi.
The speaker of the county Assembly is voted by secret ballot by MCAs after their swearing-in. A person shall not be elected as Speaker unless supported in a ballot by the votes of two-thirds of all Members. If no candidate is supported by the votes of two-thirds of all Members, the candidate who received the highest number of votes in the ballot and the candidate or candidates who in that ballot received the next highest number of votes shall alone stand for election in a further ballot and the candidate who receives the highest number of votes in the further ballot shall be elected Speaker.
