Speaker Amason Kingi is on Tuesday expected to communicate to the House Kawira’s impeachment by the County Assembly.
This is after he received the resolution of the county assembly to remove the governor from office by way of impeachment.
Kingi’s communication will pave the way for the lawmakers to decide whether to prosecute the case through a special committee or plenary.
Mwangaza was impeached by the MCAs on Wednesday on grounds of gross violation of the constitution and gross misconduct.
A total of 59 MCAs, all of whom were at the Assembly, out of the total 69 voted in support of the impeachment motion.
The Star has established that political leaders from Meru, including MPs and MCAs are lobbying senators to prosecute the case in the plenary.
“We want the impeachment to be handled in the plenary because we don’t want a repeat of what happened last year,” a senior MP from the country told the Star.
Last year, Kawira survived impeachment after an 11-member special committee that was formed to investigate the charges against her dismissed all the allegations.
It has also emerged that Azimio senators are also plotting to save the government in an apparent payback after the Kenya Kwanza lawmakers united to defeat their bid to oust Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol earlier in the year.
Currently, Azimio has 23 elected senators but at least seven have since shifted allegiance to the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
They are Ali Roba (Mandera), Fatuma Dullo (Isiolo), Joseph Githuku (Lamu), Abbas Mohamed (Wajir), James Lomenen (Turkana), Tom Ojienda (Kisumu) and Abdul Haji (Garissa).
However, Mwangaza could also get the sympathy of women senators. They are Dullo, Agnes Kavindu (Machakos), Tabitha Karanja (Nakuru).
The law provides that only elected senators (delegations) vote on the impeachment of a governor.
At least 24 delegations are needed to oust the governor.
Last Friday, Meru Speaker Ayub Bundi submitted to Kingi the resolution of the county assembly to impeach Governor Mwangaza.
Bundi also delivered 13 other documents justifying the impeachment of the county chief.
“This is to inform you that on Wednesday, the 25th day of October, 2023……. the county assembly of Meru approved the motion to remove from office the Governor of Meru County by way of impeachment,” Bundi stated in his notice to Kingi.
They include a copy of exhibits, a copy of the notice of motion of impeachment and order papers (schedule of business) of the assembly covering the entire period of impeachment.
Bundi also submitted certified Hansard reports covering the period of impeachment, a copy of signatures of MCAs who supported the motion and a copy of the roll call vote on the motion.
He also attached a copy of reports of various assembly committees that unearthed claims that informed impeachment and a copy of newspaper adverts on the proposed removal of the governor
The speaker also delivered a 2GB flash disk containing video evidence against the governor and a copy of the public participation report.
With the notification, Kingi will, within seven days, inform the house about Kawira’s impeachment by the Assembly and read out the charges in line with section 33 of the County Governments Act.
Thereafter, the House will make a decision on whether to form an 11-member special committee to hear and investigate the charges or prosecute the case in the plenary.
Should the senators form a committee, as was the case last year when she was first tried by the Senate, the panel will probe the charges and table a report on the floor within 10 days.
“I don’t want to talk much because I will be the judge, but it’s now clear that for Meru to have peace and get development, this governor should go,” Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said.
The governor and the county assembly will argue out their cases and present their evidence before the committee.
If the committee finds all the claims are unsubstantiated, the motion shall stand defeated and the governor shall remain in office.
However, if at least one of the charges is substantiated, the matter shall be subjected to the entire vote by elected members only.
At least 24 out of 47 elected senators are needed to approve the send the governor home.
