•MCAs accused the governor of 62 violations of the Constitution, all committed within 64 days.
•The Senate will on Friday convene for a special sitting to deliberate the fate of under-fire Meru Governor.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
The 11-member committee senate committee burned the midnight oil on Wednesday to conclude the hearing of impeached Meru Governor Kawira Mwanagza.
The special committee led by its chairman Bonny Khalwale finished the hearing at 2:00 am and proceeds to report writing.
Khalwale commended the committee for the patient and hard work it put in during the hearings.
“Albeit very late, glad to conclude (at 2.00 am) the hearing of evidence in the matter of the investigation into and consideration of the impeachment of Mwangaza, the governor of Meru. My humblest thanks to all the members of the Senate Special Committee,” he said.
The Committee started the sittings on Monday this week after the Senate plenary last week voted and the 11 members.
67 Meru MCAs, in October, backed a motion proposed by Abogeta West MCA Dennis Kiogora to impeach the Governor on grounds that she had infringed on her constitutional powers.
The MCAs in Meru impeached the Mwangaza on grounds that she appointed her husband to a non-existent office, lack of transparency and competitiveness in recruitment.
She is also accused of disregarding the process of establishing the husband's office and failing to submit his name to the assembly for approval.
The Meru County Assembly that impeached Governor Mwangaza was first to appear before the special committee on Tuesday to present its case on why 67 out of 69 MCAs in the assembly voted to impeach the Meru County boss.
The MCAs claimed that Mwangaza violated at least one law per day from September 6 to November 9.
Through lawyer Muthomi Thiankolu, they accused the governor of 62 violations of the Constitution, all committed within 64 days.
He tore into the governor’s defence filed in affidavits before the committee and argued that the allegations against her had nothing to do with her being a woman or the fact she was voted in as an independent candidate.
On Wednesday, the Governor told the committee probing her proposed removal from office by impeachment that the songs were sung around 8am, about two hours before 67 MCAs voted to impeach her.
"That is a Kimeru traditional song that were meant to bury or to curse someone and that's why they were dressed in white and black ready to bury someone," Mwangaza stated.
She further told the sitting that the MCAs were saying in the songs that "they have never seen a woman that is made to cry by the husband."
Prior to this, Mwangza had declined to take the witness stand and preferred to rely on the evidence of her sole witness, Harrison Gitonga, her Chief of Staff.
She, however, changed her mind after consulting her legal team led by Mutuma after some senators questioned why she was afraid to testify.
After retreating for report writing on Thursday, the Senate will on, December 30, 2022, convene for a special sitting to deliberate the fate of under-fire Meru Governor.