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Embattled Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has until Sunday, December 25 to file her responses with the Senate special committee established to hear her impeachment.

The committee chaired by Kakamega Senator Dr Boni Khalwale has already written to Mwangaza, instructing her to file her responses against the five charges levelled against her by Ward Reps.

“Letters of invitation for both parties to appear have been sent out. The Senate has already received the charges and written back to the governor to ask her to file her responses on each of the charges. The committee has given the governor up to December 25,” Khalwale said.

Khalwale, also the Majority Whip, disclosed that the committee will hold a status meeting on December 26, to establish how the documents have been exchanged and if there are issues remaining.

“The committee will have a status meeting on December 26, to establish if all documents have been received. We do not want to interfere with the flow of the trial. We want to give them sufficient time to get all the documents and responses required,” Khalwale noted.

 According to the Kakamega lawmaker, the committee will start its full hearing on Tuesday, and will hear oral submissions from Meru County Assembly and on Wednesday listen the defense of Mwangaza. Khalwale held that should the committee finish hearing the submissions on time, they shall immediately retreat to an undisclosed location to compile the report.

“We shall hear first the County Assembly then the governor. Once we finish, we will retreat and write our report. Once we write our report and it is complete, we adopt it as a committee and ask the Speaker to convene the House.”

He went on: “The rest will depend on the Senate whether they will agree with the committee report or disagree with it in total or agree with it with amendments.”

The Ward Reps claim Mwangaza should be impeached for nepotism, illegal appointments, unlawful dismissals and usurpation of the constitutional and statutory functions of county organs.  In this regard, they claim that she appointed her husband to county offices, made roadside appointments of county workers at Timau, Nkubu, Kianjai and established an illegal committee for the Meru Municipality. Under the second charge, the Meru County chief is facing impeachment for incitement, bullying among other allegations.

Contacted,  Mwangaza’s lawyer Elias Mutuma said they have not served the Senate with any court orders and that they want the process to go for a full hearing.