Hours after surviving a second round of impeachment, Kericho Governor Erick Mutai called for unity among Kericho leaders.
In an emotional speech on Friday, August 29, after the Senate acquitted him, the governor criticised the Kericho County Assembly Speaker, Patrick Mutai, and the rebel Members of the County Assembly (MCAs). He urged them to abandon hostile politics and respect the will of the people of Kericho.
In his address, the governor said that there had been enough impeachment attempts and that the county should now focus on moving forward instead of orchestrating a campaign of sabotage and intimidation.
‘’I want to say that the Speaker of Kericho County has taken us round in circles, and enough is enough,’’ the governor said.
The governor alleged that the Speaker had previously removed pro-governor MCAs from key committees and was now planning to de-whip others.
‘’Let them stop this thing. I hear that they are threatening that next week they are going to remove some MCAs. That they are going to remove MCAs who are supporting the governor. Maybe the last time, after the impeachment, I kept quiet. But this time, I'm watching,'' Mutai said.
He warned that such actions would not go unchallenged and called for respect and fairness in county leadership.
‘’What we have in Kericho County is a struggle, a power struggle for those politicians who feel that they cannot face the governor in 2027. When they imagine meeting Mutai at the ballot box, they shudder. And all these games they are doing are not for the people of Kericho. It is their own interest. And that is why we are telling them, hold on your horses, let us wait for 2027,’’ the governor continued.
Despite the heated rhetoric, Mutai extended an olive branch to his opponents, urging all leaders in Kericho to put aside personal interests and work together.
‘’I'm willing to work with all of them, but they must begin to work with respect because you need justice must come with clean hands, so we are saying we want to work all of us as one team, but we are saying again, as we work together, respect must be upheld,’’ the governor continued.
On Friday, the Senate voted to dismiss the impeachment motion against Mutai, ruling that the Kericho County assembly failed to meet the constitutional threshold required to remove a sitting governor.
26 senators voted against the motion, while 16 supported it and one abstained. Governor Mutai thanked God, family, the Senate and his legislative team for his acquittal.
