Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza Faces Third Impeachment Motion
Meru County Assembly deputy majority leader Zipporah Kinya has tabled a new impeachment motion against Governor Kawira Mwangaza. This marks the third attempt to remove the first-term governor from office.
The motion, presented on Wednesday, accuses Governor Mwangaza of three main offenses: alleged gross violations of the Constitution and various national and county laws, as well as abuse of office.
Kinya highlighted that the county assembly has received public petitions, including one from 1,611 citizens (Petition No. 5 of 2023), and statements from assembly members detailing instances of misconduct by the governor. Despite attempts at reconciliation, the issues remain unresolved, leading to the introduction of the latest impeachment motion.
Deputy Majority Leader Zipporah Kinya emphasized that Governor Kawira Mwangaza’s prolonged tenure has hindered effective service delivery in Meru County and has damaged the reputation of her office, the deputy governor’s office, the assembly leadership, and the people of Meru.
“In light of this, the assembly resolves to impeach Governor Mwangaza under Article 181 of the Constitution, Section 33 of the County Governments Act, and Standing Order No. 65,” stated Kinya.
Governor Mwangaza has previously faced impeachment twice by the Meru County Assembly, with both attempts overturned by the Senate due to insufficient evidence. The first impeachment occurred in December 2022, just three months after taking office, and was overturned on December 30, 2022. The second impeachment took place on October 26, 2023.
Accusations against her included misappropriation of county resources, nepotism, unethical behavior, defamation of other leaders, illegal appointments, contempt of court, unauthorized naming of a public road, and contempt of the assembly.
The motion was supported by all 59 present ward representatives, led by Majority Leader Evans Mawira. The 10 MCAs who opposed the motion were absent from the assembly. Despite efforts by the governor’s legal team to halt proceedings on technicalities, Speaker Ayub Bundi confirmed that 64 out of 69 MCAs had signed the impeachment motion, meeting the required threshold for the process to proceed.
