With the ongoing special Senate Committee hearing for the impeachment motion of Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza, she handpicked a team of vibrant and experienced lawyers to represent her case.
Mwangaza on Tuesday, December 27, appeared before the special committee accompanied by two lawyers including a familiar face during the election period.
One of the lawyers accompanying the governor was Elias Mutuma, a lawyer who has previously represented President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in high-level cases in the run-up to and after the August 9 polls.
Mutuma put up a spirited defense for the governor against Meru Members of Parliament (MCAs) who had twice voted to impeach her before the motion was tabled before the Senate for consideration.
The lawyer called on the Senators to dismiss the impeachment arguing that his client was a victim of the witchhunt by the Meru MCAs.
However, Mutuma has been a key lawyer in President William Ruto's UDA party considering that he represented the party in a case that challenged the use of electronic voter registration in the August 9 polls.
Furthermore, Mutuma represented UDA in a case that was seeking to block Ruto's swearing-in after he won the presidential polls.
Mutuma, however, rose to fame during the infamous Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) case in which he represented the Thirdway Alliance Party that opposed the BBI - a product of the handshake between retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.
During the BBI proceedings at the high court, he applied for and secured conservatory orders barring the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from conducting a referendum until the case was heard and determined.
He earned plaudits among Kenyans for the manner in which he put to task veteran lawyers, including current Siaya governor James Orengo, who represented Raila Odinga in the case.
The 39-year-old is also the founding partner of Mutuma Gichuru and Associates Advocates with offices based in Nairobi, Isiolo, and Meru.
Mutuma's involvement in Kawira's case comes just weeks after the Meru governor pleaded with President William Ruto to save her from impeachment by the MCAs.
The special Senate Committee has ten days to hear and determine Mwangaza's fate before submitting their recommendations to the Senate for consideration.
Whether the committee agrees or disagrees with the MCAs, it will take the vote of the entire house to seal Kawira's fate.
