Clergy conduct cleansing ceremony for Nyeri County
By Wahome Gitonga For Citizen Digital Published on: November 13, 2017 11:37 (EAT)
Members of the clergy in Nyeri County on Monday morning held a cleansing ceremony before the swearing in of Mutahi Kahiga as governor.
The church leaders who termed the exercise as a "re-dedication of the county to God" sang songs before holding a prayer session at county headquarters in Nyeri Town.
This comes after the county's 3rd governor Wahome Gakuru died on Tuesday November 7 following a grisly road accident on Thika-Sagana highway, Murang'a County.
Dr. Gakuru was the 2nd Governor to die in office following the demise of the county's first governor Nderitu Gachagua who died of pancreatic cancer at Royal Marsden Hospital in London on February 24.
As per the constitution, a governor is replaced by his/her deputy if he/she; dies, resigns in writing, ceases to be eligible to be elected county governor is convicted of a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment of at least 12 months.
Speaking to the press shortly after the prayer session, the church leaders, led by Bishop Paul Wanjohi of the New Life church said that the prayers were meant to allow the county to start on a new slate following a series of unfortunate incidents.
"Today as his servants, we are here to preach the word of God which demands that we cut the navel cord. This a beginning for our county, we want to dedicate everyone in the county from the mayors to the town clerks to God and declare that our brother (Deputy Governor Mutahi Kahiga) will start on a clean slate because the leadership is a position of authority," said Bishop Wanjohi.
Mr. Kahiga however refuted claims that the exercise was a cleansing ceremony.
"We are here to come and re dedicate our office, our offices our county, our employees, our employers and every one of us back to God. I need to make that clear because I have read in the newspapers that we were doing cleansing it is not cleansing but rededication," said the deputy governor.
He was expected to be sworn in on Monday at 2.00 pm.