Embattled Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza fought hard before the Senate, terming grounds for her impeachment by the County Assembly a political witch-hunt.
Mwangaza, who occasionally wiped away tears, told the Senate that some political leaders in her county had vowed to kick her out of office.
She said she has been working perfectly well with Members of County Assembly and other elected leaders until two months ago and had even allocated a Ward Development Fund of Sh15 million to each ward.
"I have used the slogan Kaende Kaende - Kabati kabati as a means aimed to speed up development in Meru County and not to spite or belittle anyone as being alleged in some of the accusations brought against me in this House. This purely political witch-hunt," said Mwangaza.
She showed the Senate that she enjoyed a good relationship with MCAs with several videos played showing Majority Leader Evans Mawira and other MCAs speaking well of her and the work she was doing before their relationship soured.
Mwangaza accused Deputy Governor Isaac Mutuma of looking down upon her charity programme helping the people of Meru yet she had elevated him from being a prison warden to the current position, but is now working with her detractors to bring her down.
Wiped away tears
The governor wiped away tears as a video showing Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi vowing to kick her out of office were played with the legislator alleging she was not a resident of the county.
"I have not employed any relative in my administration or my husband vilified other leaders through songs that he played in functions we attended. He only sang about some leaders wanting her to engage in corruption activities but I had chosen to remain firm," said Mwangaza.
She denied referring to MPs as cartels during an event attended by President William Ruto and that she was only talking about some people who want to fleece the county and the country at large.
Nyaki East MCA Nicholas Kinyua who took up the stand as the first witness in defence of Mwangaza, told the Senate that the governor made peace with the majority of MCAs after the first impeachment process was dismissed.
He said the governor enjoyed good relations with MCAs until September this year when disagreements and cracks emerged. Kinyua said the governor was not guilty of any of the charges and that there was coercion and incitement that most MCAs did not freely exercise their minds.
MCA assaulted
"I was called by the deputy governor to support the impeachment motion, promising to increase Ward Development fund from Sh15 million to Sh30 million when he becomes governor while some MCAs were promised to be made County Executive Committee Members," said Kinyua.
He said Mbeu MCA John Muguna was assaulted outside the assembly instilling fear in the other nine MCAs who were against the impeachment.
The Senate was told how Njuri Ncheke elders conducted an oathing ceremony with MCAs who withdrew support for impeachment and were informed that they will face dire consequences.
"The Njuri Ncheke elder is explaining that a long time ago the circumciser of men used to be a woman and that she would sit on men with the language used targeting to insinuate that the governor was sitting on men in the county with 40 MCAs in attendance at the ceremony," said Kinyua.
Adrian Arayaru, a member of the Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders and chairman of Tigania East, Tigania West, and Tigania central-sub counties, said they were called for a tree planting session only for an oath to be taken.
He said the MCAs present were told of the curse that will befall them if they took an oath with Deputy Governor Isaac Mutuma being installed to take over the mantle of Meru leadership and that those who carried that event did not have the blessings of elders to carry it out.
"What happened there should not have taken place in the first place since this is a shrine which is a holy place where even an animal cannot be killed, that was completely wrong, it went against our customs," said Arayaru.
