Meru County has become the epicentre of an intensifying political storm, with Governor Kawira Mwangaza facing a third impeachment motion that is now on its way to the Senate.
This marks her fifth impeachment attempt by the Meru County Assembly, with only two having previously reached the Senate.
The ongoing tussle underscores the broader governance challenges that are fueling impeachment motions across various county governments in Kenya.
Since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution and the operationalization of county governments, more than 10 county bosses and three deputies have faced an impeachment motion.
Some have survived the impeachment attempts as others are handed a lifeline by the senate.
The Senate, acting as a quasi-judicial body, has been thrust into the role of resolving these conflicts, which often stem from deeper systemic issues.
According to Narok Senator Ledama Olekina, the problems are rooted in the governance structure itself.
Olekina highlighted the limitations imposed by the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, which grants the governor immense control over county assembly finances.
"If you look at the PFM Act as an example, it puts the governor in charge of the county assembly or the county treasury in charge of the county assembly. If we were to give the assembly their autonomy, such that they can be able to draw their money from the exchequer, we might end up avoiding all these things," Senator Olekina explained.
Speaking at Citizen TV, the senator further emphasised that the financial dependency of county assemblies on governors creates a power imbalance, leading to frequent clashes.
"Sometimes, you will find that a county governor will deny assemblies money, so the clerk and the speaker will always be knocking on the door of the governor to ask the governor to tell the CECs to release money.”
“These are some of the things we need to correct in the future. Some of the three things are systemic in nature, and unless we correct that, we will continue having all these wrangles," he opined.
As Meru's political drama unfolds, Article 192 of the Constitution, which grants the president the power to suspend a county government in the event of an internal conflict, looms large.
However, despite the persistent conflicts in Meru, no such action has been taken, leaving the Senate as the final arbiter in the governor's fate.
Senator Olekina also pointed out the gravity of impeachment, noting that it carries severe consequences for the impeached individual.
"She has to go through the process; the Constitution is quite clear. If it happens that the Senate confirms her impeachment, then there are consequences. If you look at Article 75 of the Constitution, it is quite clear that once somebody has been removed from office, they can never hold any other public office. It is not something easy when you impeach somebody; you are basically giving them a death sentence. They would never hold any public office," he stated.
The ongoing conflict in Meru, however, is not just a legal issue but also a political one.
"In reality, impeachment is a political and not a legal matter. The people elected a woman as the governor, but there seem to be those who want to confuse the governance of Meru County," the Narok Senator remarked.
As the situation develops, it remains unclear whether the Senate will uphold the impeachment motion against Governor Mwangaza.
