Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza was finally impeached late last night following two unsuccessful prior ouster bids by the Meru County Assembly.
Senators voted to send her home based on three charges in which she was found guilty, becoming the third Governor to be removed from office by impeachment after Kiambu’s Ferdinand Waititu and Nairobi’s Mike Sonko in 2020.
On the first charge—gross violation of the Constitution and other laws—the Senate found Mwangaza guilty, with 26 senators voting in support, 4 against, and 14 abstaining.
Among the accusations was her illegal revocation of Virginia Kawira Miriti’s appointment as Secretary/CEO of the Meru County Public Service Board, which lacked the required 75 per cent majority vote from the County Assembly.
On the second charge of gross misconduct, 26 senators found her guilty, while 4 voted against the charge. Fourteen senators abstained from voting.
Governor Mwangaza was accused of deliberately misleading the public by falsely claiming that Sh86million had been raised through a Paybill number established after the murder of Daniel Muthiani alias Sniper. The actual amount raised was Sh286,516.
On the third charge of abuse of office, 27 senators voted in support of the impeachment, one senator opposed, and 14 abstained.
“The senators, having voted to uphold the charges against the Meru governor, Governor Kawira Mwangaza ceases to hold office,” ruled Speaker Amason Kingi in a vote that went past midnight.
According to Section 33(7) of the County Government Act, a governor ceases to hold office if a majority of the Senate members uphold any of the impeachment charges.
In a contentious late-night voting session at the Senate, Senators—primarily from the Kenya Kwanza coalition—voted to confirm all three charges against the embattled governor.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot moved the motion on the proposed removal from office, by impeachment, of Mwangaza, the Governor of Meru County on Tuesday night.
The motion was seconded by Senator Nderitu Kinyua.
This was Mwangaza’s third impeachment to reach the senate, since she was elected into office in August 2022.
At least 24 elected senators were required to vote in favour of the motion to uphold the governor’s ouster from office.
Article 182 of the constitution provides for the procedure to fill a vacancy in the office of the county governor.
When the Senate impeaches the governor, the deputy governor shall assume office as county governor.
The deputy governor will serve the remainder of the county governor’s term.