Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza Faces Fresh Impeachment Bid.

In a dramatic turn of events, the Meru County Assembly has once again found itself at the center of a political storm. A notice of motion to impeach Governor Kawira Mwangaza has been tabled, marking the third such attempt to unseat the controversial leader.

Zipporah Kinya, a nominated member and the Deputy Majority Leader, presented the impeachment motion on Wednesday. The motion accuses Governor Mwangaza of abuse of office, misappropriation, and misuse of county resources. Kinya claims the governor's "discreditable acts" have brought national shame to the people of Meru County.

“The discreditable acts have exposed the Office of the Governor, the Office of the Deputy Governor, the Assembly and its leadership and the people of Meru County to national shame, scandal, embarrassment, ridicule and disgrace,” reads the notice of motion.

Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza during a past event. Photo source X

Among the allegations, Mwangaza is accused of failing to appoint chairpersons to key boards such as the Meru County Revenue Board and the Meru Microfinance Corporation. She is also charged with the illegal revocation of Virginia Miriti’s appointment as county secretary without the required vote from the Meru MCAs.

Other serious accusations include the mismanagement of emergency call allowances, leading to an overpayment of Ksh. 74.3 million, and using a manual payroll to pay personnel emoluments amounting to Ksh. 102.9 million. Furthermore, Mwangaza is faulted for employing a "bloated workforce" of at least 111 personal staff, contributing to a wage bill spike by over Ksh. 500 million.

In a particularly damning claim, Kinya highlights that a staff member in Mwangaza's office received his full salary and benefits while in remand over a murder case.

Kinya argues that efforts at reconciliation have failed, and Mwangaza’s continued tenure "persistently undermined effective and efficient service delivery and gravely hurt the interests of the people of the county."

Governor Mwangaza, a first-time governor, has previously survived two impeachment bids. Last November, she narrowly escaped removal when a majority of the 47 senators failed to uphold any of the seven charges brought against her by the Meru County Assembly. These charges included misappropriation of county resources, nepotism, unethical practices, bullying other leaders, and contempt of court. The governor also faced accusations of illegally naming a public road after her husband and contempt of the Meru County Assembly.

The first impeachment attempt in December 2022 saw an 11-member Senate committee find all charges against her unproven.

As Meru watches closely, the political saga continues to unfold, with the fate of Governor Mwangaza hanging in the balance once more. Will she weather this storm, or is this the end of her tumultuous tenure? Only time will tell.