Meru governor Kawira Mwangaza has been impeached for the third time in just two years, after 49 Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) voted in favor of the ouster motion, with 17 voting against it and 3 members absent.
Charges Against the Governor
Nominated MCA Zipporah Kinya outlined the three main allegations against Governor Mwangaza:
Constitutional Violations
Kinya accused Mwangaza of illegally revoking the appointment of the county public service board secretary, stating
“It is only the county assembly who have the mandate to revoke the appointment of the secretary county public service board.”
She also claimed the governor failed to appoint required chairpersons and boards, and refused to dismiss the county secretary and chief of staff despite the assembly’s recommendations.
Gross Misconduct
According to Kinya, the governor “lied to the public saying that the fundraiser for the family of deceased Daniel Muthiani popularly known as Sniper raised Sh86m.” She said
“The correct position is that only Sh.286,516.00 was raised.”
Abuse of Office
Kinya alleged that Mwangaza had employed “111 workers and out of those 79 cleaners in the office yet they are not visible” and was paying them through a manual payroll.
She also claimed the governor continued paying a public communications officer, Christus Manyara, his full salary while he was in remand and suspected of involvement in a murder.
Reactions and Next Steps
Minority Leader Mwenda Ithili seconded the impeachment motion, saying
“The governor should have come to the assembly to defend herself against the claims instead of resulting in pay goons to cause mayhem and put members of the County Assembly at risk.”
Mwangaza now awaits the Senate’s decision on whether she will be saved from or ultimately ousted through this third impeachment.
