Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza escapes removal from office as the Senate fails to uphold any of the seven charges brought by the County Assembly of Meru.
After a two-day hearing, the Senate’s divided vote results in Governor Mwangaza retaining her position, despite allegations of misappropriation of resources and other charges.
Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has once again survived an impeachment attempt, as the Senate’s majority vote failed to substantiate any of the seven charges presented by the County Assembly of Meru seeking her removal.
The charges against Governor Mwangaza included accusations of misappropriating county resources, nepotism, unethical practices, bullying of other leaders, exceeding her statutory powers, contempt of court, naming a public road after her husband, and contempt of the Meru County Assembly.
The Senate’s vote took place late at night after a two-day-long impeachment hearing. For the first charge of misappropriating county resources, 19 Senators supported her removal, while 28 voted in her favor. On the charge of nepotism and unethical practices, only five Senators found her guilty, with 42 disagreeing. The charge of bullying, vilification, and diminishing other leaders saw three Senators in favor of her removal and 44 against it.
The Senators were nearly evenly split on the charges of making illegal appointments and usurping statutory powers, with 20 Senators finding her guilty, and 27 declaring her innocent. In the case of Contempt of Court, only three Senators voted in favor of her guilt, while 44 supported her.
A particularly notable charge of naming a public road after her husband resulted in only four Senators finding her guilty, while 43 rejected the accusation. Finally, the charge of Contempt of the County Assembly saw 10 Senators voting for her guilt and 27 finding the ground unsubstantiated.
Following the vote, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi announced that none of the impeachment charges had been upheld. Per constitutional and legal provisions, Governor Mwangaza would continue to hold office.
This marks the second time that Governor Mwangaza has thwarted removal attempts by Meru County MCAs, with the Senate once again concluding that the charges were unproven. She had previously faced an impeachment by the Assembly in December 2022, and an 11-member Senate Special Committee later found the charges to lack sufficient evidence.
Before the Senate’s vote, Governor Mwangaza, in a plea for a second chance, expressed remorse for her conduct towards Members of the County Assembly, MPs, and Senators. She acknowledged her imperfections and sought forgiveness, emphasizing her commitment to working with all parties for the benefit of the people of Meru.
In her plea, she stated, “I was elected as an independent governor, I know I need MCAs. I have tried my best and still continue to try my best to see that I work with everyone. No one is an angel, I am not an angel; each and every one of us has his or her own weaknesses. It is my prayer to God that the weaknesses that they may have, God will help me so that as we work together as a team and make Meru people happy.”
