Kenya's Senate voted on Wednesday to save the governor of Meru County, Kawira Mwangaza, who had been impeached by the county assembly on October 25.
Mwangaza's two-day impeachment hearing at the Senate culminated in a vote on Wednesday.
"The Senate has failed to remove from office by impeachment Kawira Mwangaza, the governor of Meru County, and the governor accordingly continues to hold office," Senate Speaker Amason Kingi ruled.
In all the seven counts she was facing, a majority of the 47 senators found none of the charges was valid.
Had any of the charges been passed through a vote, Mwangaza would have ceased to hold office.
The governor had been accused of misusing county resources, practicing nepotism, bullying the Members of Meru County Assembly (MCAs) and making illegal appointments.
'Misappropriation of funds'
She denied the allegations before the Senate plenary on Wednesday.
Meru MCAs, in their impeachment motion against Mwangaza, alleged that the governor had misappropriated county funds through her relatives, and also illegally pocketed money for services not rendered.
The MCAs further accused Mwangaza of hiring unqualified relatives for official duties in and out of the country.
She also faced allegations of flouting government procurement rules, and naming a public road after her husband, Murega Baichu.
The MCAs said they had summoned the governor on multiple occasions, but she ignored them.
Second impeachment
The October 25 impeachment by MCAs marked the second time Mwangaza was being ousted by the county lawmakers in less than a year.
Mwangaza was first impeached by MCAs on December 30, 2022 over alleged abuse of office, but was saved by Kenya's Senate.
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.
If a governor's impeachment is ratified by the Senate, and he or she is aggrieved by the decision, the ousted county chief can file an appeal at the High Court seeking to overturn the verdict.
Victory against odds
The 50-year-old Mwangaza 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.
Mwangaza is among seven female governors in the East African nation that has 47 governors.
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.
