In a dramatic turn of events, Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo has survived an attempt to remove him from office. On Tuesday, the Senate voted to throw out an impeachment motion filed by the County Assembly, saving the embattled leader from political disaster-for now.
A total of 31 Senators sided with Guyo, rejecting the grounds of the impeachment, while 12 voted against him. The deciding factor hinged on a technicality: whether the Isiolo County Assembly had held valid sittings on June 18 and June 26 to debate and pass the motion.
Despite the outcome, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi made it clear that Guyo’s political troubles are far from over.
“This is not a win,” Kingi told the governor firmly. “It’s a postponement. Depending on how you conduct yourself, this case may never return-or it may come back very soon. It’s up to you.”
Kingi advised Guyo to make peace with his political opponents within the county, adding, “There are cracks in the walls of Isiolo County. You need to mend them.”
The County Assembly had accused Guyo of gross misconduct and abuse of office. Among the charges were failure to implement key development projects, inflating the county’s executive arm by appointing over 60 advisors and chief officers, and offering them only short-term contracts—moves lawmakers said created confusion and fear.
He was also blamed for falling short on revenue targets, despite Isiolo receiving one of the lowest allocations from the national government.
Even more controversially, the impeachment motion went ahead despite a court order barring the Assembly from continuing with the process. That has raised fresh questions about the legality of the entire ordeal.
Guyo, who appeared calm during the Senate session, challenged the Assembly’s process and questioned whether proper procedure had been followed in the sittings that sparked the motion.
Tuesday’s vote may have saved his seat, but political observers say the real work starts now. Mending bridges, healing divisions, and restoring public trust will be a steep climb for the governor.
He remains in office-but on a thin rope.
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