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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Wednesday, January 4 met Meru County leadership in a bid to reconcile them with Governor Kawira Mwangaza.

“This evening, I have held a five-hour discussion with all elected members of the National Assembly and the Senate from Meru County in an attempt to understand what is ailing our great County of Meru.

“Mbele iko Sawa na Mlima iko imara (the future is great, the mountain is firm),” Rigathi said after the meeting.

Rigathi’s meeting with the legislators came barely 10 days after Kawira survived impeachment at the Senate.

At the same time, Senate’s Devolution and Intergovernmental Committee has taken up the arbitration role in a bid to reconcile Kawira and the Ward representatives from the county.

The county chief and the Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) have been wrangling for months, culminating in the governor’s impeachment, which was overturned by Senators.

Senate rejects Kawira’s impeachment

The lawmakers, in a unanimous decision, rejected all the 62 grounds fronted by the Ward legislators to support Mwangaza’s impeachment bid.

Senators are now seeking to mediate the county chief and the Ward lawmakers. Devolution and Intergovernmental relations committee chairman Sheikh Abbas confirmed that they have taken over the matter and will sit down with them.

“We have taken up that role to arbitrate them. We will sit down with the governor, MCAs and other leaders in the county to try and bring peace by the end of this month,” said Abbas.

The 11-member select committee, chaired by Boni Khalwale (Kakamega), while dismissing the Ward Reps’ allegation, stated that the MCAs had not substantiated or proved the allegations levelled against the governor.

In their report, the lawmakers pointed out the sour relationship between Kawira and the MCAs.

“In the interest of the residents of Meru, the committee recommends urgent need for a concerted effort to reconcile and create a conducive environment for the county to realize meaningful development,” the committee recommended.

While laying grounds for Mwangaza’s impeachment, the MCAs accused her of vilifying them, including political and church leaders, and government officials in the county.

In other charges, the governor was accused of nepotism, illegal appointments, unlawful dismissals and usurpation of the constitutional and statutory functions of county organs.

The parties had bitterly fallen out in the same manner Kawira and her MCAs have.

She also faced charges of incitement, bullying, and misleading campaigns against other leaders.