Meru County Assembly halts debate on Governor Mwangaza's impeachment after court ruling

The Meru County Assembly has stopped debating a recent impeachment motion against Governor Kawira Mwangaza following a High Court order issued on Wednesday temporarily halting the proceedings until the court provides further directions on the same on Monday, July 29, 2024.

The ruling was preceded by Mwangaza filing a petition challenging the planned impeachment motion on grounds that the proposal is being instigated by her political detractors.

Addressing the Meru County Assembly on Thursday, Speaker Ayub Bundi urged members to adhere to the court ruling, emphasising the importance of upholding fairness in court trials. 

"The High Court issued a ruling to the effect that the consideration of the impeachment motion be ousted pending further ruling of the court to be issued on July, 29, 2024. The scheduling has since been served in my office and the office of the Clerk. The ruling handed down by the High Court is a testament to the rule of law that governs our country and our commitment to upholding justice and fairness," he said.

"While the present ruling may evoke valid emotions and opinions among us; it is crucial that we demonstrate our respect for the legal process by fully complying with the court's directives. We shall await the ruling of the High Court in order to be guided on the way forward."

Zipporah Kinya, a Nominated Member and Deputy Leader of the Majority Party filed the motion to impeach Mwangaza on grounds of gross violations of the Constitution, various national and county laws, and abuse of office. 

The notice of motion by Kinya lists numerous specific allegations against the Governor, such as illegal appointments and dismissals, financial misconduct, and misleading the public.

Notably, the Governor is accused of revoking the appointment of CPA Virginia Kawira Miriti as Secretary/CEO of the Meru County Public Service Board without proper authorization and in contravention of the law.

Additionally, the Governor is alleged to have failed to appoint or illegally appointed chairpersons for several county boards without the required vetting and approval by the County Assembly.

The document seen by Citizen Digital further details accusations of financial misconduct, including the irregular payment of emergency call allowances to doctors, leading to an excessive payment of Ksh.74.3 million and the use of a manual payroll system to pay personnel emoluments amounting to Ksh.102.94 million. 

The motion also highlights the Governor's role in employing a bloated workforce, significantly increasing the county's wage bill beyond legal limits.

This is the third time that the first-time Governor is facing a bid to eject her from office.

In November last year, she survived the second bid to impeach her after a majority of the 47 Senators failed to uphold any of the seven charges cited against her by the County Assembly of Meru that voted unanimously to eject her from office.

Governor Mwangaza was at the time accused of misappropriating county resources, nepotism and unethical practices, bullying and vilifying other leaders, usurping her statutory powers, contempt of court, illegally naming a public road after her husband and contempt of the Meru County Assembly. 

She was first impeached by the Assembly in December 2022 but an 11-member Senate Special Committee appointed to probe the grounds for her impeachment submitted a report stating that none of the charges levelled against her was proven.