Fate of Governor Mwangaza in Senate

Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza. [File, Standard] The fate of Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza is in the hands of the Senate. This is after Meru County Assembly Speaker Ayub Bundi notified his counterpart in the Senate Amason Kingi, of the decision of the 49 Members of the County Assembly to impeach Mwangaza for the third time. Kingi is expected to convene the Upper House to hear the charges against Mwangaza. She would be expected to defend herself against allegations of violation of the constitution and abuse of office. Mwangaza has denied the charges and accused political detractors of the woes bedeviling her. Efforts to reconcile her with the MCAs, MPs, and Senator Kathuri Murungi have failed to bear fruit. President William Ruto had delegated the mediation role to his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, who hosted talks between the warring parties. Gachagua had committed to intervene to end the feud. Meru residents will keenly watch the events as Mwangaza has in the past supported the dissolution of the county citing irreconcilable differences with the MCAs. She claims they are being used by external forces to bring her down. Senators in the UDA like Kakamega's Bonny Khalwale have called for the the dissolution of the county. Khalwale said it was time for the Meru people to decide the fate of their country. "The impeachment of the governor of Meru must now invite the President to step in as provided for under Article 192 of the Constitution of Kenya. Namely, initiate the process of suspension of this county government that will eventually pave the way for fresh elections for both the governor and MCAs," Senator Khalwale said. However, the MCAs oppose the dissolution and insist she is the problem. Political analysts say Mwangaza has an array of weapons to fight her impeachment including filing a case in court. Oscar Mutugi said this time round the decision of the Senate will have far-reaching effects on the political and economic future of the county. He said a third impeachment was a bad record for any governor and also depicts Mwangaza as a person who is reluctant to take advice or accommodate dissenting opinions. He however said Mwangaza still had a chance of survival. "Precedence has shown that resilience is a good virtue in politics. Embu's Martin Wambora secured a second term despite several impeachment snares by MCAs. Mwangaza's chances at the Senate could go either way, given the palpable fatigue by Senators as regards the Meru issue," he said David Karani, a rights activist who participated in collecting signatures for a petition for dissolution said it was time to end the 'shenanigans in Meru. "We can no longer waste time on leaders trying to prove who is more powerful than the other at the expense of development. All sovereign powers belong to the people," said Karani. In the last impeachment, most senators proposed that the county should be dissolved and Meru people get a chance to elect a new governor or MCAs who can work with Mwangaza. Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot floated the idea of dissolving the Meru government. "Why don't we a house invoke Article 192 of the Constitution and just ask the people of Meru that they have a fresh start? That you send all these people (Governor and MCAs) packing and have the county dissolved, perhaps after that realization then the people of Meru can enjoy the fruits of devolution," said the Kericho Senator. Meanwhile, 15 people were on Friday charged before a Meru Court with attempted arson at the county assembly. The suspects, who police say were arrested with three bottles of petrol, tires and stones, denied the charges and were each released on a bond of Sh500,000 with an alternative cash bail of Sh200,000. The case will be mentioned on Thursday.

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