Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo./FILENyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo has been impeached by 23 members of the County Assembly.
Some 28 MCAs were present in the Assembly when the vote was taken while 12 kept off.
However, speaker Thadeus Nyabaro allowed six of those present to vote on behalf of their absent colleagues to attain the threshold required to send it to senate.
MCAs disregarded a sworn affidavit by the 12 absentees and voted on behalf of six. The MCAs are; Alfayo Ngeresa Mabera (Mekenene Ward), Emmanuel Gisesa (Rigoma Ward), Joel Ombongi (Bokeira Ward) and Lameck Sikweya Onyancha (Itibo Ward).
Others are; Julius Nyangana (Bobwagamo Ward), Henry Obwaya (Gachuba Ward), Jeria Nyakangi (Nominated), Priscilla Nyatichi (Nominated) and Elijah Abere (Nominated).
Nyaribo faced several charges that include abuse of office in the motion sponsored by Bonyamatuta MCA Kimwomi Matwere. Speaker Nyabaro now says he will transmit the impeachment articles to the Senate.
The law requires a county assembly speaker to notify Senate speaker within 48 hours upon which the Speaker will communicate to senators while setting the date for hearing of the charges.
With the controversy of whether the motion got the required threshold, Nyaribo’s lawyers say they wil rely on the Senate precedent where similar charges were dropped against Isiolo’s Abdi Guyo and Kericho’s Eric Mutai on technical grounds.
The governor who rose to power in late 2020 following the death of his predecessor John Nyagarama, has in the past survived similar attempts twice, which the accusations mirroring each other in both instances.
In October 2023, the MCAs had sought to impeach Nyaribo on several claims which he survived but left a divided Assmebly which was split twice.
For several months, a faction led by ousted speaker Enock Okero conducted their parallel session dubbed Bunge Mashinani from outside the official Assembly chambers.
It took several court cases and interventions to reconcile the MCAs, and with the removal of Okero as speaker upheld by the high court, to have all the MCAs hold one sitting.
Less than a year later, in September 2024, nominated MCA Evans Matunda sponsored a second bid, which was defeated after they failed to reach the threshold of two-thirds.
22 pro-impeachment MCAs voted but fell short of just one to make to it the threshold required of 23 to send Nyaribo to the Senate for trial.
With three impending by-elections, the Assembly currently has 32 out of the 35 members, meaning Nyaribo had to marshal 12 members to his side. The senate will now be required to determine if indeed 23 voted.
