Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has, for the second time, survived an impeachment motion against her in the Senate.
This is after the majority of senators dismissed the seven charges cited against her by the County Assembly of Meru that voted unanimously to eject her from office.
Among the charges the Governor faced included; misappropriation and misuse of county resources, nepotism and related unethical practices, bullying, vilification, illegal appointment and usurpation of statutory powers, and demeaning of other leaders.
Mwangaza denied all the charges and put up a spirited defense saying she was being victimized as a woman leader by the male-dominated county assembly.
The Senators took the crucial vote on Wednesday night, voting on each of the seven counts leveled against the Meru Governor.
In the first count of misappropriation and misuse of public resources, 28 senators voted the governor innocent, while 19 senators voted her guilty.
The second count of nepotism and unethical practices, 5 Senators found her guilty while 42 found her innocent.
On the third charge, which accused the governor of bullying, vilification, and demeaning other leaders, 44 senators cleared her while three senators voted her guilty.
In the charges of illegal appointment and usurpation of statutory powers, 26 senators voted against it, while 20 voted in support of the charges.
Only three Senators voted her guilty of contempt of court, while 44 voted in her favor.
For the sixth charge, where Mwangaza was accused of naming a road after her husband, 43 Senators rejected the charge while 4 found her guilty.
In the seventh charge accusing Mwangaza of contempt of court, 10 Senators declared her guilty while 27 ruled the charge was unfounded.
“The result of the division indicates that the Senate has not upheld any of the impeachment charges. The Senate has failed to remove from office by impeachment Governor Kawira Mwangaza and the Governor accordingly continues to hold office, “Senate speaker Amason Kingi announced after the voting.
This was the second attempt by Meru Members of the County Assembly to remove Governor Kawira from office since she came to power in Augut 2022.
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