By Brian Okoth
Kawira Mwangaza, the governor of Eastern Kenya county of Meru, has been impeached for the second time in less than a year.
Mwangaza was impeached by the lawmakers of the Meru County Assembly (MCAs) on Wednesday over alleged abuse of office, misuse of county funds, and nepotism.
All the 59 MCAs, who were present in the county assembly, voted in favour of her ouster.
Ten MCAs, said to be against her removal from office, were not in the house during voting.
Mwangaza was first impeached by MCAs on December 30, 2022 over alleged abuse of office, but was saved by Kenya's Senate.
Court injunction bid fails
According to the Kenyan Constitution, a governor ceases to hold office if he or she is impeached by MCAs, and the Senate ratifies his or her removal.
Mwangaza had earlier filed a case at the Court of Appeal seeking to stop her impeachment debate on Wednesday, but the court rejected her application.
In the run-up to her first impeachment, the MCAs accused her of running the county government through her spouse Murega Baichu, claims that Mwangaza denied.
The 50-year-old has had a rough first year in her reign as governor, frequently clashing with MCAs.
The MCAs are key to a governor's smooth rule, as they are legally mandated to pass budgets for county governments and approve the governor's county minister nominees.
Motion goes to Senate
Meru County Assembly Speaker Ayub Bundi will now submit the impeachment report to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, who will initiate a hearing process.
The senators will, thereafter, vote on whether to ratify the MCAs' decision or reject it.
If the senators reject Mwangaza's impeachment by MCAs, the county chief will continue to hold office.
Mwangaza is among seven female governors in the East African nation that has 47 governors.
Several governors in Kenya have previously been impeached, with four of the impeachments ratified by the Senate.
They include the former governor of Kenya's capital Nairobi, Mike Sonko; and Ferdinand Waititu, the former governor of a major Central Kenya county of Kiambu.
Victory against the odds
The third governor, who was removed by the Senate, but later restored to office by the Kenyan court, was the then-Wajir governor Mohamed Abdi Mahamud.
The ex-governor of Eastern Kenya county of Embu, Martin Wambora, was also saved by the court after the Senate ratified his impeachment.
Some political analysts, however, say that the impeachment process in Kenya is largely politically-motivated.
A Kenyan governor is elected for a five-year term, and can run for office for a maximum of two terms.
Mwangaza, who served as Meru County's Woman Member of Parliament between 2017 and 2022, successfully ran for governor in the August 9, 2022 General Election, defeating political veterans, including the then-governor Kiraitu Murungi and the current Agriculture Minister Mithika Linturi.
