Meru Governor Granted Temporary Reprieve as High Court Suspends Impeachment

Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has received a reprieve in her ongoing legal battle.

The High Court has suspended the Senate's resolution to remove her from office, which had followed her impeachment by the Meru County Assembly the previous day. Governor Mwangaza had filed an urgent application challenging the Senate's decision, citing constitutional, legal, and factual issues that warranted immediate judicial intervention. The High Court judge Justice Bahati Mwamuye has agreed, issuing ex parte interim conservatory orders that temporarily halted the publication of a vacancy for the position of Meru Governor in the Kenya Gazette.

The governor's troubles began when the Meru County Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against her, citing allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and violations of the Constitution. These accusations included claims of nepotism, irregular appointments, and mismanagement of county funds. The Assembly's impeachment motion was then forwarded to the Senate for further action, and on Tuesday, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to remove Governor Mwangaza from office. The High Court's decision to suspend the Senate's resolution has provided a temporary reprieve for Governor Mwangaza, allowing her to continue serving in her role.

However, her political future remains uncertain, as the court has scheduled a mention date for the case on September 17, 2024, when it will hear further arguments from both sides. Lawyers representing Meru governor Kawira Mwangaza in her impeachment hearing at the Senate have had explained the lack of basis for the charges against the county boss. Elias Mutuma and Elisha Ongoya argued that the Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) had predetermined to impeach Mwangaza again after the Senate failed to confirm the charges during the previous impeachment in November 2023, which was the third time the governor faced such proceedings.

Mutuma claimed that the MCAs had gathered in Nairobi a day after the Senate dismissed the charges to create a new impeachment motion "based on lies," describing them as "pathological lies" that the MCAs had repeated until they sounded like the truth.