Senate Majority Leader and Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot has vehemently denied having any vested interest in the impeachment and removal of Kericho Governor Erick Mutai, asserting that his sole motivation is to serve the people of Kericho.

While moving a motion for the establishment of proceedings for the removal of Governor Mutai from office on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Cheruiyot told the convened special sitting of the Senate that his interest lay solely in pursuing the interests of the people.

Cheruiyot was responding to concern over the existence of a higher hand in influencing the county boss’s impeachment that happened after a resounding vote in the County Assembly on Friday, August 15, 2025.

“Mr. Speaker, I can already hear what people are saying, including Mr. Khalwale, who is asking me to declare my interest in this matter in accordance with the Conflict of Interest Bill, which is now a law,” Cheruiyot emphasised.

“I have no personal interest in this matter other than the interest of the people of Kericho, whom I have a sacred duty to serve and protect. Nothing else,” he added.

Cheruiyot, who publicly stated that the sole determination of deciding which route the governor’s impeachment hearing would take place on noted that it was diversionary to purport to investigate his interest in the impeachment.

Mutai’s impeachment

“That is not a subject matter of this point. At this point, we are discussing whether to investigate the matter by way of plenary or through a committee,” he added.

During the heated impeachment process on Wednesday, out of the 47 members of the County Assembly (MCAs), 33 voted in favour of the resolution to remove him from office, while 14 others voted against the impeachment.

Before the vote, there were contentious discussions at the special session, which was held in the Kericho County Assembly chambers.

According to a statement from Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, the impeachment motion against the governor, dated Friday, August 15, 2025, and signed by the Speaker of the Kericho County Assembly, cited gross violation of the Constitution, misappropriation of funds, and gross misconduct by the governor.