Imenti North Member of Parliament (MP) Rahim Dawood has come out to share his thoughts on the impeachment of former Meru County Governor Kawira Mwangaza.

Dawood said he had seen it coming as Mwangaza had kept trashing the advice he was giving her.

Speaking during an interview with Weru FM on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Dawood noted that he had tried to pass advice to the former governor on matters that were putting her at the centre of conflicts with Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) and said that at no point did she ever lend him an ear.

According to him, Meru was never in chaos as the outside world was led to believe—it was simply that Mwangaza refused to heed guidance, even from fellow leaders, allowing tensions in the county to spiral out of control.

“Kwa hiyo miaka mbili na nusu, sio ati hatungeweza kupata peace, lakini nilijaribu kuongea na yeye, huyo dada yangu Faith Kawira Mwangaza juu tuliserve na yeye ile parliament. Pia alikuwa rafiki wakati alikuwa anauza simiti.

“Hata kwa mazishi ya ndugu yake nilimwambia. Senator Chesang yule alikuwa chairman wake wa ICT committee pia alijaribu kuzungumza na yeye ndio tuweze kupatanisha watu lakini hakuskia,” Dawood said.

Rahim, who shared that his only wish is to see Meru reaching its potential, then went further to say that his hope right now is that all MCAs, including those siding with Mwangaza, rally their efforts towards the new governor, Mutuma.

He acknowledged that Meru has been bogged down by endless wrangles and warned that the new governor has a mountain to climb before the county is back on its feet.

However, he expressed unshakeable faith in Mutuma, describing him as a dynamic young leader who, with the right support, will exceed expectations and turn Meru around in the mere two years left before the next election.

“Hata ishirini waliokuwa wamepotea kama watabadilisha mwenendo wakuje juu hatutaki vita tena kwa county yetu, wacha tusikuwe na vested interests, tumpatie Governor Mutuma nafasi ya kufanya kazi hiyo miaka mbili na nusu imebaki, he has to make a difference juu uongozi wake utaonekana.”

Impeachment

Kawira’s once-promising leadership at the helm of the agriculturally rich county came crashing down on March 14, 2025, after the High Court held that the Senate, in impeaching her, had acted in accordance with the Constitution.

This was after the court also dismissed Mwangaza’s assertion that the process was marred by chaos.

Kawira had filed the petition to challenge her impeachment by the Senate on grounds that the process violated various constitutional provisions.

She argued that the impeachment did not meet the constitutional threshold and that it was conducted in defiance of a valid court order.

In its defence, the Senate Speaker defended the impeachment process, saying the Senate followed due process, the charges met the constitutional threshold, and the governor was accorded a fair hearing.

In its findings, the High Court said the Senate did not act in deliberate defiance of the court order issued by the High Court sitting in Meru.

The High Court also found that Mwangaza had not proved that the Senate’s deliberations were prejudiced or were likely to prejudice ongoing proceedings in various courts where those matters were being litigated.

Ruling

“Accordingly, the High Court sitting at Milimani issued the following orders: a) The Amended Petition dated 23 December 2024, which is the subject of the proceedings herein, is found to be without merit and is dismissed.

The Gazette Notice No. 10351 vol. CXXVI-No 130 dated 20 August 2024 published on 21 August 2024 and issued by the Respondent communicating the decision and/or resolution of the Senate to remove the Petitioner from office as the Governor of Meru County by way of impeachment is affirmed for the purposes of these proceedings,” Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled on Friday, 14 March 2025.