Homa Bay County Assembly Speaker Julius Gaya resigned on Tuesday November 12, 2024, as MCAs were preparing to table his impeachment motion at the floor of the House.

Gaya’s resignation has sparked significant reactions, especially with the timing, aligning closely with an impending impeachment motion against him.

The resignation, announced by Deputy Speaker Okings Okomo on November 12, came just hours before the motion was set to take place during a County Assembly sitting.

“Honorable Members, I am in receipt of the resignation letter of Hon Julius Gaya as the Speaker of this County Assembly addressed to the Clerk,” he said.

Okomo informed the assembly that the resignation followed the required procedure, referencing to Standing Order 14A (1), which mandates that a speaker wishing to resign must submit a formal letter to the clerk.

Gaya’s resignation letter expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as the third Speaker since the promulgation of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, and it acknowledged the role of the assembly members in his tenure.

The news was met with loud expressions of approval from the MCAs, who responded with the customary stomping of feet, signaling their apparent satisfaction with Gaya’s decision.

His resignation has been perceived as a strategic move to preemptively avoid the consequences of the impeachment process that was already underway.

Gaya had assumed office in September 2022, shortly after the general elections, marking a relatively short but turbulent tenure in the leadership of the Homa Bay County Assembly.

The grounds for his impeachment still remains unclear.