In Kenya, government officials are known to successfully complete their set terms and sometimes even seek extensions.
Seldom has a sitting government official been forced out of office, except for some, four women in this case, who made headlines over the same.
Beatrice Elachi
Nairobi County Assembly Speaker, Beatrice Elachi, on September 6, 2018, was impeached by the Members of her County Assembly (MCAs).
About 103 MCAs voted to remove her from office, two voted against it while two others abstained.
Elachi was impeached on grounds of gross alleged misconduct. The motion was tabled by Waithaka MCA Antony Kiragu.
He accused Elachi of interfering with the procurement process, undermining the authority of the County Assembly Service Board and failing on leadership.
“The conduct of Hon. Beatrice Elachi, through her actions and omissions, has caused the Assembly great embarrassment and brought the office of the speaker into disrepute, contrary to the gamut laws on the conduct of state officers of her calibre.
"This Assembly, therefore, resolved to sanction and remove Hon. Elachi as the holder of the office of the speaker, ” stated Kiragu
However, she was later reinstated by the court but has never assumed her duties since then, due to strong opposition from the MCAs
Gladys Shollei
Uasin Gishu Woman Representative, Gladys Shollei, was in 2013 impeached by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
In a media briefing, the JSC announced her sacking as the Judiciary’s chief registrar.
"JSC cited misappropriation of funds, insubordination, incompetence and engaging in sideshows,” read a statement by the then JSC Chair and Chief Justice Willy Mutunga.
“Having fully appreciated the allegations served on her, and having read the responses, and noting that she elected to appear in person before the commission, and after in-depth interrogation of all issues, it is the unanimous resolution of the commission that the chief registrar of the Judiciary is hereby removed from office with immediate effect,” the statement further communicated.
After Shollei's sacking, Gladys joined politics and successfully vied for the Uasin Gishu County Woman Representative seat, on a Jubilee Party ticket, during the 2017 General Election.
Lillian Omollo
Former Public Service and Youth PS, Lillian Omollo, was dismissed on May 2018, in a mini-cabinet reshuffle, following her implication in a Ksh9 billion National Youth Service corruption case.
Lilian had served in the capacity for two and a half years.
The PS was charged with the responsibility of transforming the face of NYS after it was hit by a similar corruption scandal in 2015.
Her bank accounts were frozen on grounds that she had acquired the money illegally.
Omollo spent 25 days at the Lang’ata Women’s Prison, 15 of which were spent in admission at Kenyatta National Hospital after she fainted while the prison. The case is ongoing.
Nancy Baraza
She was the first-ever deputy chief justice under the new Constitution of Kenya.
In 2012, she was found guilty of gross misconduct after she assaulted a security guard, at Village Market Mall.
A tribunal investigating the incident recommended that Ms Baraza be removed from office for “inability to control her behaviour.”
She tried to fight the unanimous decision by lodging a complaint at the Supreme Court but later resigned on October 18, 2012, citing lack of confidence in the five-judge bench.
