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| Kericho County Assembly |
The majority of the Kericho County Assembly voted on Wednesday, October 2, to impeach Governor Erick Mutai. Governor Erick Mutai was impeached after 31 MCAs voted to send him home. In a charged session that lasted over four hours, the ward representatives deliberated on the conduct of the county boss, whom they mainly accused of maladministration. How many MCAs impeached Kericho governor? Thirty-one ward representatives concluded that Mutai was not fit to hold his post; their 16 colleagues abstained.
The grounds for the impeachment included gross violation of the Constitution, gross misconduct, and abuse of office. Further, the county boss was accused of intimidating and molesting junior officers who seemed to dissent from him. The motion mover, Sigowet MCA Kiprotich Rogony, said the victims would be brought to testify before the county assembly during the debate. Mutai was also accused of encroaching on private land and illegally designating it as a dumpsite without the proprietor’s consent. The proponents of the impeachment motion flouted a court order which the governor had secured to stop the process.
The governor earlier pleaded with the MCAs to forgive him and give up their plot to impeach him, saying his young family depended on him. After the motion, the MCAs were filmed singing in jubilation. Mutai’s fate will be determined by the court, which had earlier stopped his impeachment, Ordinarily, his case would be escalated to the Senate where, a committee or in plenary, would review the charges against him before deciding on the impeachment. He is the third member of the Council of Governors (CoG) to be troubled with an impeachment this year. In August, Meru governor Kawira Mwangaza’s impeachment was upheld by the Senate after 49 out of 69 MCAs voted to send her home. Mwangaza faced accusations of abuse of office, gross misconduct, and violation of the constitution.
by Kai Eli
