Meru politics has taken a new turn after former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi claimed he helped raise Ksh100 million to influence the Senate during the impeachment of former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza.

Speaking in a night interview on a local TV station on Sunday, March 1, 2026, Linturi said he mobilised the money from friends, Members of Parliament and other allies. He said they wanted to respond to what they believed was financial influence within Parliament.

“I called friends, my friends, MPs, all of them, and raised money: Ksh100 million,” Linturi said.

Money and impeachment claims

The interviewer asked him directly what the money was for, and Linturi linked it to impeachment politics at the national level and in Meru. He referred to remarks previously made by President William Ruto about MPs.

“Let me ask you, you heard Ruto say these MPs ni wakora. They are always paid money. They took money to impeach Gachagua. So even we gave out the money to be taken to the Senate,” Linturi said.

When pressed on whether they paid senators to impeach Mwangaza, he did not deny it. Instead, he described Parliament as compromised.

“I’m telling you that that parliament is compromised. It’s for the highest bidder. Even if you have some kind of case there, you will be asked to give something. And we decided if it’s money which might cause this thing to continue, let’s contribute. And I thank those people who came out,” he said.

Mwangaza’s removal followed a long political battle. The Meru County Assembly impeached her for the third time on August 8, 2024, after two earlier failed attempts. The Senate heard the case from August 19, 2024, and upheld the impeachment on August 21, 2024. That decision removed her from office, although she challenged it in court.

In March 2025, the High Court upheld the Senate’s decision, bringing her term to an end. Her deputy, Isaac Mutuma, then took over as governor.