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Mwangaza under siege as Meru residents ‘rubber stamp’ impeachment

By Wangu Kanuri November 28th, 2022 2 min read

There could be still no ‘Mwangaza’ in Meru as even residents chanted that they did not want Governor Kawira Mwangaza, who is barely three months into office.

In a public participation event organised at County Assembly premises in regard to the petition seeking Governor Mwangaza’s impeachment, a crowd of Meru residents chanted, ‘Kawira must go!’ an indication they wanted their first female governor to exit office.

The public call out comes at a time when the Meru Members of County Assembly (MCA) tabled a petition to impeach Ms Mwangaza with 68 out of 69 MCAs appending their signatures.

The motion was proposed by Abogeta West MCA Dennis Kiogora, who is also the Minority Chief Whip, saying the governor breached the Leadership and Integrity act of Section 10 in the constitution.

“The governor has engaged in multiple discreditable acts… the discreditable acts have exposed the office of the governor, the Assembly and its leadership and the people of Meru County, to national shame, embarrassment ridicule and disrepute,” Mr Kiogora said.

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He added that the actions of the governor had created a toxic environment in which the governor cannot be relied upon to work harmoniously with staff and elected leaders.

“The governor’s continued stay in office under the prevailing toxic environment will inevitably undermine effective and efficient service delivery and thus hurt the interests of the people.”

However, Ms Mwangaza moved to court to block the impeachment hearing set for Wednesday this week saying it would be unfair to her as its outcome was pre-determined.

She also argued that the motion was incurably incompetent and defective as it was issued by Mr Charles Launi, the county assembly deputy clerk, who signed off as the acting clerk.

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She further argued that the position of the assembly clerk fell vacant on November 19 and the process of finding a replacement had not started.

Ms Mwangaza’s woes began no sooner had she been sworn in. MCAs would later storm out of the Assembly during her maiden speech.

Additionally, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has been on her radar over claims of nepotism after she appointed her husband Murega Baicu as the Meru Youth Service Patron as well as the ‘ambassador of Meru Hustlers.’

The governor has also appointed her two sisters to key county jobs.

In her defense, the embattled governor said her husband would not be receiving any salary from the county, and that he would be doing voluntary work while one of her sisters would be her personal body guard and the other her personal assistant, a role she claims they even when she was serving as the Women Representative.

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