Nyeri — The campaign against Members of the National Assembly from the Mt. Kenya region who voted for the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has taken a new turn.

Residents of Mathira, Gachagua's home constituency, have begun collecting signatures to initiate a recall of their representative, Eric Wamumbi.

Armed with their national identity cards, voters gathered at the Karatina open-air market to sign petitions, stating they are prepared to proceed with the recall once the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is fully reconstituted.

Speaking at the Karatina market, where the petition drive began on Wednesday, residents expressed their discontent, declaring Wamumbi "unwanted".

"As residents, we have resolved to start collecting signatures to recall Wamumbi because he has not initiated any meaningful development and betrayed our son, Gachagua, by leading the push for his impeachment, which we opposed," said Peter Mwangi.

Mwangi acknowledged that the IEBC is not yet fully reconstituted following resignations of commissioners and retirement of others.

"We know we cannot recall him now, but we are preparing the groundwork for this exercise so that once the commission is in place, we can move quickly, just as Gachagua's removal was handled," Mwangi added.

One third requirement

Mathira constituency, a political stronghold in Nyeri County, has over 100,000 voters.

For the recall process to proceed, supporters must gather signatures from one-third of the electorate.

This move by Mathira residents comes shortly after Nyeri Town MP Duncan Maina was chased from the Lower Bus Park by angry matatu operators who view him as a traitor for supporting Gachagua's impeachment.

Drama unfolded as Maina visited the stage to express solidarity with the operators, defying an order to relocate to a newly designated stage by the Governor Mutahi Kahiga-led county administration.

However, sections of the crowd rebuffed him, saying they did not welcome a "traitor" among them.