Senate plenary to hear Kisii DG Robert Monda’s impeachment motion

Kisii Deputy Governor Dr. Robert Monda will defend himself on the floor of the Senate after a motion seeking to set up a 11-member committee to hear the charges flopped on the floor of the House.

Monda is facing charges of abuse of office, crimes under national law, gross misconduct and gross violation of the Constitution.

A motion to establish an 11-member committee to investigate the allegations and report back to the House within 10 days collapsed after Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot - while moving the motion - failed to get a seconder.

The Kericho Senator had requested his Nairobi counterpart Edwin Sifuna to second the motion but he declined to do so, albeit without revealing his reasons.

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi then ruled that the implication of the failure to get a seconder of the motion meant that the motion had collapsed and therefore the House would consider the allegations in plenary.

“Clearly, Majority Leader, you do not have a seconder for this motion. The motion for the establishment of a formation for a committee having suffered that setback, the matter shall be heard in plenary. I will be giving further directions in due course,” said Kingi.

The Speaker at the same time cautioned the Senators to desist from publicly commenting on the merits or demerits of the impeachment motion before the Senate.

“Doing so would amount to anticipation of debate, which is an infringement of Standing Order 99. It shall be out of order, within the meaning of Standing Order 122, for any Senator to make comments, whether written or spoken, in relation to the conduct of the Deputy Governor or the impeachment process, outside the confines of the impeachment proceedings as such comments may prejudice the just outcome of the process,” said Kingi.

Monda is being accused of using his position to solicit Ksh.800, 000, thereby conferring a financial benefit upon himself and attempting to influence the Gusii Water and Sanitation Company (GWASCO)'s hiring decision by sending a Ksh.100, 000 to its Managing Director.

“The Deputy Governor contravened Article 75 of the Constitution by attempting to influence the appointment process for the position of Commercial Manager at GWASCO by offering a bribe to its Managing Director, Ms Lucy Wahito Wachira,” read part of the charges tabled at the Senate.

The accusers further state that the Deputy Governor breached the Bribery Act by soliciting and receiving bribes of Ksh.800,000 and sending Ksh.100,000 to the Managing Director of GWASCO so as to influence the award of a contract of employment to a preferred interviewee.

The embattled DG is accused of violating the Constitution by soliciting and receiving a bribe to influence the recruitment process at the GWASCO, thereby breaching the Leadership and Integrity Act and Public Officer Ethics Act by compromising the integrity of a public recruitment institution for personal gain.

The County Assembly who are the accusers will be relying on three witnesses David Haggai Oyagi, Gladys Aminga and Enock Maranga and affidavits from Dennis Mokaya Misati and Lucy Wahito.