President William Ruto has finally addressed the controversial impeachment of former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza, calling on residents to unite behind her successor, Isaac Mutuma M’Ethingia, for the county’s development.

Speaking during his visit to Meru County on April 2, 2025, as part of his development tour of Mount Kenya, Ruto acknowledged the political turbulence that had characterized the region urging locals to move past the divisions that had hampered progress.

“I have seen it now, and I accept—you now have a governor. This honourable leader is indeed your governor,” Ruto said, referring to Mutuma.

He highlighted the detrimental effects of political discord on development initiatives in the county, calling on Meru leaders to put aside their differences.

“Here in Meru, there was turmoil, but by God’s grace, the court has finalized matters and now you have a new governor. I’m asking my brothers and sisters from Meru, you’ve seen the loss that can come when people are divided when leaders are divided. There’s no development, no plan, no moving forward,” he stated.

Ruto warned that political infighting had already caused setbacks for the county, stressing the importance of a united leadership focused on service delivery.

“I humbly ask the leaders and people of Meru to stand together. Now that you have a new governor, support him, and work together so that Meru can move forward. Let’s abandon politics of conflict, hatred, and division,” he urged.

Woman Deputy governor

Addressing gender representation concerns following Mwangaza’s impeachment, Ruto revealed that he advised Mutuma to appoint a woman as the deputy governor.

“We have no problem with women leaders. We love and support them. I advised that since there is a new governor, a woman should be appointed as the Deputy Governor. Hasn’t that been done well? Let’s give him a round of applause,” he said.

Drawing parallels between the situation in Meru and his national unity agenda, Ruto asserted his commitment to uniting all Kenyans, regardless of religion, tribe, or county of origin, to work together for national development.

“I have resolved, as the leader of this nation and with your votes, to unite the entire country. I will bring together all Kenyans from all communities, all counties, and all religions so that we can work as one to build our nation,” he affirmed.

Kawira’s impeachment

On March 14, 2025, Kawira faced a significant setback when the High Court upheld the Senate’s impeachment, removing her from office as the Meru County Governor.

The court ruled that the Senate acted in accordance with the Constitution during the impeachment process dismissing Mwangaza’s claim that the process was marred by chaos.

Kawira who had filed a petition challenging her impeachment, argued that the process violated several constitutional provisions and did not meet the required constitutional threshold.

In defence of the impeachment, the Senate Speaker stated that the Senate followed due process, the charges met the constitutional threshold, and the governor received a fair hearing.

In its findings, the High Court stated that the Senate did not act in deliberate defiance of the court order and that Mwanganza ha 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.

“Accordingly, the High Court sitting at Milimani issued the following orders: a) The Amended Petition dated 23rd 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 20th August 2024 published on 21st 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.