Homa Bay – County Assembly Speaker Julius Odhiambo Gaya has resigned from his position just hours before an impeachment vote was scheduled.
The resignation followed a formal process as outlined by the assembly’s Standing Orders, with Deputy Speaker Okings Okomo assuming the role of Acting Speaker and presiding over the day’s sitting.
In his announcement, as per Standing Order 14(a), Okomo confirmed the receipt of Gaya’s resignation letter, which had been addressed to the clerk and subsequently communicated to the assembly.
“I am in receipt of the resignation letter by Hon. Julius Odhiambo Gaya as the Speaker of this County Assembly,” Okomo stated, before declaring the speaker’s office vacant, in line with assembly procedure.
“Mister speaker, allow me on behalf of all these members to appreciate our former speaker for being brave. Out of 54 members, he had only the support of one member in this house. By deciding to resign, that was the best he could do so that this honourable house could not bring those other issues,” Ogindo said.
Gaya, who was elected as the third speaker of the Homa Bay County Assembly on September 21, 2022, expressed his gratitude to the assembly members for their support during his tenure.
In his resignation letter, he said, “It has been an honour to serve the house, and I am grateful for the support extended to me.”
The resignation comes amid growing tensions within the assembly, where 53 out of 54 members had signed an impeachment motion against him.
The impeachment motion was set to be tabled in the assembly on Tuesday, November 12, the same day Gaya tendered his resignation.
