Spirited efforts by opposition senators to save Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza from being impeached flopped after Speaker Amason Kingi turned down their calls for voting on the motion to be deferred to yesterday morning.

The senators upheld all the charges against Kawira which means she ceases to hold office forthwith. She has however moved to court seeking to stop the swearing in of the deputy governor.

On the first charge—gross violation of the Constitution and other laws—the Senate found Kawira guilty, with 26 senators voting in support, 4 against, while 14 abstained.

On the second charge of gross misconduct, 26 senators found her guilty, while 4 voted against the charge. Fourteen senators abstained from voting.

False claim

The governor was accused of deliberately misleading the public by falsely claiming that Sh86 million had been raised through a Paybill number established after the murder of Daniel Muthiani alias Sniper. The actual amount raised was Sh286,516.

The third charge of abuse of office was also upheld with 27 senators voted in support of the impeachment, one senator opposed, and 14 abstained.

The governor was accused of irregularly paying emergency call allowances to 161 doctors and medical officers using incorrect rates, resulting in an overpayment of Sh74.34 million, contrary to the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act.

The minority side made every attempt to delay debate by raising on frivolous points of order but Kingi could not fall on any.

Outspoken Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale and his Turkana counterpart James Lomenen were the only senators from the majority side who sided with the embattled Kawira.

At one time, Kingi threatened to throw out Khalwale for disregarding his orders even as the senator pleaded with him to allow him execute his point of order.

Senators had argued that voting could not go on past midnight which was the stipulated time according to the Gazette notice issued by Kingi himself.

Dismissed own argument

However, Kingi dismissed the argument saying he had called for the division bell to be rang at 11.58 am, two minutes before midnight.

“It is clear that the division bell was rang two minutes before midnight, we are within the time limits voting must proceed as planned,” Kingi charged.

Still, the minority side was not contented and protested the ruling which almost generated name calling between the Speaker and Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna.

Sifuna who was contributing remotely, termed Kingi as a disgrace to the House and one who will be on record as the worst speaker senate has ever had.

“You are a disgrace to this House, you have thrown the constitution and the Standing orders to the dogs, you are a disgrace,” Sifuna thundered.

At this stage, Kingi ordered the clerks to switch off the microphone but the system delayed allowing Sifuna who is on an official trip to the USA to continue ranting.

There was more drama as Nominated senator Beth Syengo threw herself to the floor in a bid to stop orderlies from ejecting her from the chamber, all in an attempt to buy time so as to beat the midnight deadline.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka also put up a spirited attempt at wasting time by raising points of order but Kingi could not hear any of them.

Nominated senator Gloria Orwoba led female senators in a spirited attempt to save Kawira but in the end, their efforts amounted to nothing as standing orders do not allow nominated senators to vote.

In her final submission before the Senate, the embattled governor recounted her efforts to reconcile with the Meru County Assembly and local leaders, including MPs, for the sake of the county’s progress.

“I traveled across Meru, apologizing to anyone I may have wronged. At one point, I said sorry 70 times—69 to each MCA and once to the Speaker,” she said.

“I started with Njuri Ncheke and amended everything that was not going well. I sat with the MPs and every leader in Meru. There is only one leader whom I did not talk to. The rest, we have sat, talked, and have no issue at all.”

Kawira was first impeached by the County Assembly in December 2022, but an 11-member Senate Special Committee later found that none of the charges against her was proven.

In November 2023, the Senate granted her another political lifeline after she pleaded for forgiveness and a second chance but she was not third time lucky this week.

She faced five charges of gross violation of the Constitution in the third impeachment.