Meru governor Kwaira Mwangaza was impeached in a late-night vote by the senate. It’s said, the third term is the charm. In Mwanagaza’s predicament, the adage couldn’t have suited better after surviving two impeachment motions in two years.
The impeached governor has faced questions over her conduct in office during her tenure. Initially, she had been accused of abuse of office after appointing her husband to the county office, a blatant conflict of interest.
During the hearing, drama ensued in the Senate during the, after a lady in the Speaker’s Gallery started screaming. She was Daniel Muthiani’s mother, a political activist allegedly mureerd by the governor’s camp earlier this year.
On December 2, 2023, Daniel Muthiani AKA Snipper, a blogger and political activist disappeared under mysterious circumstances and his body was discovered on December 16 in a thicket on the banks of the Mutonga River in Tharaka Nithi County. The post-mortem revealed that Muthiani had been tortured before being strangled.
Accusations swirled that the governor and her camp were behind the heinous crime, leading to the arrest of her brother, Murangiri Kenneth Guantai in connection with the murder along with four other suspects early this year.
In his social media posts, Mothiani recorded videos criticising the governpr and, according to the DCI, the suspects had told Muthiani that the governor wanted them to work together.
Muthiani was, at one point, a staunch supporter of Meru Governor, Kawira Mwangaza. His nickname came from a hard-hitting post targeting her closest competitor, current Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi. Then the politics that saw Mwangaza survive two impeachment attempts divided Meru county. Sniper chose a side.
Meru County MCAs impeached Mwangaza on the grounds of abuse of office, violating the Constitution and other laws, particularly for allegedly disregarding various legal procedures, including the Public Appointments Act, by making unilateral decisions without following due process.
Additionally, she was accused of gross misconduct, which involved behavior deemed unfit for a public officer, such as ignoring the Meru County Assembly in key decisions and allegedly bullying county officials.
On the first charge of gross violation of the Constitution and other laws, the Senate found Kawira Mwangaza guilty, with 26 Senators voting in favor, 4 opposing, and 14 abstaining. The second charge followed a similar pattern, with 26 Senators voting to support it, 2 against, and 14 abstaining. For the third charge, abuse of office, 27 Senators voted to confirm the charge, 1 opposed, and 14 abstained.
After the voting, Speaker Amason Kingi declared, “The Senate has resolved to remove Hon. Kawira Mwangaza, the Governor of Meru County, from office by impeachment, and the Governor therefore ceases to hold office.”
Read also: Senate Upholds Meru Governor’s Impeachment
