A section of Imenti North residents in Meru County have launched a petition to recall their Member of Parliament, Rahim Dawood, just days after the new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) team was sworn in.
According to a report by The Standard Digital on Friday, July 18, the recall effort targets Dawood over his support for the controversial Finance Bill 2024, which sparked countrywide protests in June last year.
The disgruntled constituents have also accused the third-term legislator of presiding over unfulfilled promises and stalled development projects in the area.
Dawood was first elected in 2013 on an Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) ticket. He later defended the seat in 2017 under the Democratic Party (DP) and won again in 2022 as an independent candidate.
He is a known ally of President William Ruto and has openly criticized former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Recently, Dawood blamed Gachagua for the unrest witnessed in Meru during the Saba Saba Day demonstrations.
Despite the growing momentum, recalling a sitting MP in Kenya is a lengthy and complex process. Article 104 of the Constitution outlines the procedure, which includes collecting signatures from at least a third of registered voters in the constituency.
Once submitted, IEBC must verify the signatures before the process can proceed. No MP has ever been successfully recalled under this provision.
The Imenti North residents’ move follows the swearing-in of the new IEBC team led by chairman Erastus Ethekon, which has reignited calls across the country to hold elected leaders accountable. A section of Kenyans online has threatened to begin the recall process for some of their MPs, citing betrayal.
By Kenyans