The fate of Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu is now in the hands of the Senate, after Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) impeached him Thursday.
The law stipulates that the Senate must, within 10 days of receiving the county assembly’s resolution from the Speaker, convene and set up a special committee or sit as a committee of the whole House to determine whether or not the claims in the impeachment are substantiated.
If a special committee is set up, it must, within the 10 days, return the verdict to the Senate, which must be approved by 50 percent of the elected senators.
The governor will be required to appear to answer to the charges levelled against him, whether before a special committee of the Senate as a whole.
If the senate finds the claims substantiated, Mr Waititu will need to appear before it before it makes a decision, but if the claims are unsubstantiated, that will be the end of the proceedings.
Meanwhile, the governor cannot do anything until his fate is decided by the Senate.
Mr Waititu’s impeachment is a big boost to the deputy governor’s camp. Mr James Nyoro, who has been acting governor, has been working to consolidate his support.
The Kiambu governor becomes the fourth to be impeached after Embu Governor Martin Wambora, Kericho’s Paul Chepkwony and Taita-Taveta’s Granton Samboja.
Mr Wambora was, however, saved by the court, while Prof Chepkwony and Mr Samboja were given a lifeline by the Senate.
During Thursday’s sitting, 63 MCAs voted to have Mr Waititu ousted. Twenty-eight were absent.
Only Kiambu Township Ward Rep Anthony Ikonya Mwaniki, a close ally of Mr Waititu, opposed the impeachment.
He was later kicked out of the assembly by Speaker Stephen Ndichu for being unruly.
Earlier, the Speaker had adjourned the debate on technicalities, but it resumed at 3.45pm.