Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has given the way forward on the impeachment motion against embattled Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza who was impeached for the fourth time by Members of the Meru County Assembly.
Speaker Kingi in a gazette notice on Tuesday, August 13, announced that the Senate will hold a special sitting on the ouster of Governor Mwangaza on Wednesday 14th, where charges made against her by the Members of County Assembly (MCAs) will be heard.
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According to the Speaker, the sitting will be held in the Senate Chamber, Main Parliament Buildings, Nairobi, from 2.30p.m.
“PURSUANT to the standing order 33 (1) of the Senate Standing Orders, on the request of the Senate Majority Leader with the support of the requisite member of Senate: AND FURTHER UPON receipt of a letter from the Speaker of the County Assembly of Meru dated 9th August 2024, and received in the Office of the Speaker of the Senate on 9th August, 2024, by which the Speaker of the County Assembly of Meru informed the Speaker of the Senate of the approval of a Motion for the several from office by impeachment of Ms. Kawita Mwangaza, the Governor of Meru County,” reads part of the notice.
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“I have appointed Wednesday, 14th August 2024 as a day for a special sitting of the Senate. The sitting shall be hell in the Senate Chamber, Main Parliament Buildings, Nairobi, commencing at 2.30p.m. The business to the transacted at the sitting shall be the hearing of the charges against Ms. Kawira Mwangaza, the Governer of Meru County.”
Kawira Mwangaza Impeachment: Senate to Hold Special Sitting
Kingi further highlighted that the business specified in the notice will be the only business before the Senate during the special sitting.
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Also Read: Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza Impeached
The special sitting has been convened after Members of the Meru County Assembly last Thursday impeached Mwangaza for the third time, with 49 MCAs voting for her ouster.
Meru County Assembly deputy majority leader Zipporah Kinya moved the impeachment bid accusing the county boss of gross violation of the constitution and other laws, gross misconduct, and abuse of office.
During last week’s voting, three Meru MCAs did not vote, while 17 others voted against the motion.
It marked the third time Mwangaza, a first-time governor, has been impeached at the county assembly, although there have been five attempts to oust her.
Also, this will be the third time that the Senate will be deciding Mwangaza’s fate after it voted twice before to save the governor who had been impeached by the county assembly.
Second impeachment
On October 25, 2023, the Senators voted to save her after a two-day impeachment hearing at the Senate.
“The Senate has failed to remove from office by impeachment Kawira Mwangaza, the governor of Meru County, and the governor accordingly continues to hold office,” Senate Speaker Amason Kingi ruled.
Also Read: Njuri Ncheke Breaks Silence on Kawira Mwangaza Case After Court Decision
In all the seven counts she was facing, a majority of the 47 senators found none of the charges was valid.
Had any of the charges been passed through a vote, Mwangaza would have ceased to hold office.
The governor had been accused of misusing county resources, practicing nepotism, bullying the Members of Meru County Assembly (MCAs) and making illegal appointments.
In addition, the October 25 impeachment by MCAs marked the second time Mwangaza was being ousted by the county lawmakers in less than a year.
Mwangaza was first impeached by MCAs on December 30, 2022, over alleged abuse of office, but was saved by Kenya’s Senate.
According to the Kenyan Constitution, a governor ceases to hold office if he or she is impeached by MCAs, and the Senate ratifies his or her removal.
If a governor’s impeachment is ratified by the Senate, and he or she is aggrieved by the decision, the ousted county chief can file an appeal at the High Court seeking to overturn the verdict.
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