Isiolo Governor Guyo survives impeachment on a technicality, warned against chest-thumping
"This is not a win, and the Senate does not expect you to go out there chest-thumping. This is a postponement of your case. Depending on how you are going to carry yourself going forward that case may never be heard or may be back here in a matter of days. It's up to you," Kingi noted
Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo yesterday evening survived an impeachment attempt on a technicality after the Senate dismissed the case filed by the County Assembly citing grey procedural issues even as Senate Speaker Amason Kingi gave a warning shot to the governor that it was not a win, rather, a postponement of his case.
Kingi warned Guyo against what he termed as “chest-thumping” or extending the tiff in the county leadership, urging him to streamline broken relationships with dissenting legislators.
“This is not a win, and the Senate does not expect you to go out there chest-thumping. This is a postponement of your case. Depending on how you are going to carry yourself going forward that case may never be heard or may be back here in a matter of days. It’s up to you,” Kingi noted.
“Clearly there are cracks in the walls of Isiolo County. If I were you I’d go mend those cracks. You need to have a sitting with your Senator even if it’s through a third party. You need to mend your relationship with the County Assembly.”
Although Senators upheld preliminary objections raised by the governor, arguing that a valid impeachment had not occurred at the County Assembly and that there was an active court order barring the process, a section of Senators led by Senate Majority Leader Aron Cheruiyot argued against terminating the impeachment cases at the preliminary stage.
A total of 31 senators supported the motion on preliminary objection that the Isiolo County Assembly never held any sitting in the assembly to impeach the governor.
On the other hand, 12 senators rejected the motion on preliminary objection and voted for the matter to proceed to a full hearing The lawmakers emphasised that impeachment is both a process and a procedure that must be guided by the Constitution and applicable laws.
“Justice must be served to all parties. In this case, we have the Isiolo County Assembly on one side and the governor on the other. The process and procedure must be followed,” said Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, while supporting the motion to uphold the preliminary objection, urged the House to respect judicial authority.
“It would be the darkest day for any lawyer if court orders are disobeyed. The question of whether a sitting took place on that day has already been addressed. I am not convinced that there was no sitting on June 26, 2025,” Sifuna stated.
Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo called on fellow senators to be fair and to uphold the Constitution and all relevant laws in handling such matters.
However, Kericho Senator who also doubles as the Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot argued against terminating impeachment cases at the preliminary stage.
“An impeachment process should not end at the preliminary objection level. I urge you to allow the process to go the full distance so that justice is served to the people of Isiolo and the issues raised are properly evaluated,” he said.
“There are serious issues that must be addressed. I will propose that we amend our Standing Orders to ensure future impeachment processes do not end prematurely,” Mandera Senator Ali Roba echoed the sentiment, urging senators to hear the matter to its logical conclusion.
“Justice can only be achieved by examining the substance of the case. What we’re doing is killing the case before it even begins,” Roba said.
On his part, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi said that they cannot violate the law and that there was no sitting and tabling of a motion to impeach the Governor.
“You cannot allow people to sit in a bar, present a motion to us, and this house sends away a governor who has been duly elected by the people. That will be setting a wrong precedent,” Osotsi said.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale said that Members of the County Assembly across the country need to respect the process of removing governors from office by following the due process and not using shortcuts to carry out such a serious matter.
While presenting his statement in the House, governor Guyo raised objections on whether the Isiolo County Assembly held sittings on June 18 and 26 June to debate and pass the motion for his ouster.
By way of voting, 31 Senators upheld the objection against 12, granting Guyo a lifeline to remain in office.
The County Assembly had filed an impeachment motion against Guyo’s on grounds of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and violation of various laws and the Constitution.
Guyo was accused of stalling major development projects, failing to achieve revenue targets, creating a bloated executive, appointing 36 advisors and 31 chief officers, despite Isiolo County receiving the third-lowest revenue allocation nationally.
In addition, Guyo was accused of issuing short-term, two-year contracts to chief officers, a move the County Assembly argued created an “environment of fear and uncertainty.”
The impeachment motion moved forward despite a court order prohibiting the Assembly from proceeding with the process.
