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Kericho Governor Erick Mutai has pleaded not guilty to the three charges brought against him by the county assembly.
Mutai, who is currently on trial in the Senate after being impeached, pleaded not guilty for gross violation of the Constitution and other laws, abuse of office and gross misconduct.
A total of31 out of 47 MCAs voted to impeach Mutai on July 30, 2025, citing the three grounds.
Mutai is accused of authorising Sh85.7 million in fictitious payments for undelivered goods, inflated contracts, and incomplete works.
Examples include faulty maintenance works on houses and agricultural inputs that never reached intended recipients.
A total Sh351 million meant for the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) was allegedly misdirected to only 19 of 30 wards, with substandard deliverables.
Under the FLOCCA (Financing Locally‑Led Climate Action) initiative, Mutai is said to have allegedly directed Sh21.7 million to his home ward, Chemosot, while other wards were excluded.
He is also facing the charge of launching the “Equaliser Kazi Mtaani” initiative in 2023, spending Sh39 million without legal anchors or oversight by both the County Assembly and the Controller of Budget.
The governor allegedly misused emergency funds and public donations—over Sh9 million raised for Londiani accident victims—through direct tenders and failing to implement assembly recommendations.
The Assembly also alleges systemic procurement violations: splitting contracts, paying advance funds despite Sh1.1 billion in pending liabilities, and engaging in nepotism and favoritism.
Mutai also faces the charge of hiring his brother as a revenue clerk and appointing his aide’s wife as a nurse over qualified candidates.
Reports also mention instances of public humiliation, such as derogatory remarks against a local MCA during public events.
In one of the most serious claims, Mutai allegedly led a mob to invade private land in Kericho town, destroying the fence and converting the property into an illegal dumpsite—an act allegedly executed in contempt of a court order and without environmental approvals
