Embattled Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru will Friday know whether she will continue to serve as county chief.
The 11-member special committee which conducted hearings on her impeachment will table a report in the Senate with their verdict.
The Senate will then vote to either uphold her impeachment or dismiss the charges levelled against her by the county assembly.
The committee chaired by Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala held marathon hearings of the case on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Waiguru is accused by MCAs of abuse of office by awarding herself Sh10 million in imprest as travel allowances for foreign trips she allegedly did not make.
She is also facing charges of gross violation of the Constitution for failing to deliver the State of the County Address in the assembly.
Further, Waiguru is accused of breaching the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act, 2015 by irregularly awarding tenders.
The governor dismissed the charged as innuendos, witch-hunt and propaganda peddled by powerful individuals in and out of Kirinyaga county.
The detractors are against her support for the BBI and the handshake, she said.
If the senators uphold any of the impeachment charges, she shall lose her lucrative seat in line with section 33 (7) of the County Government Act.
However, for the governor to be impeached, at least 24 of the elected 47 senators must vote to uphold any of the charges.
“If a majority of all the members of the Senate vote to uphold any impeachment charge, the governor shall cease to hold office,” section 33 (7) says.
Should the house meet the threshold, her deputy Peter Ndambiri will take over as the new governor for the remainder of the term according to Article 182 (2) of the Constitution. He will nominate a deputy whose name shall be tabled in the county assembly for approval.
However, if a vote in the Senate fails to result in her removal, Waiguru shall continue with her duties as governor.
The Senate speaker will notify the county assembly speaker of the decision. The MCAs can reintroduce the motion after three months as stated in Section 33 (8) of the County Governments Act.
On Thursday, sources in the special committee said that there was a split in the committee.
Members allied to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga were said to be keen to acquit the governor of all the charges.
But Malala refuted claims of division among his members ahead of the tabling of the report.
“I have a lot of confidence in my members because we have a galaxy of professionals and we will deliver a fair and just report,” Malala said.
On Wednesday, Waiguru through her lawyers put up a spirited fight and dismissed all the allegations. She termed the accusations as false, unfounded and salacious allegations, which have no place in an impeachment motion.
Speaking at the end of the hearings, Waiguru made a passionate appeal to senators to spare her political career.
She blamed her on woes on her support for the handshake between Uhuru and Raila and the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
“Honourable Senators, my stand has made me enemies with people of deep influence inside and outside my county which is a matter of public record, resulting in endless attacks on my person because of my support for BBI and the handshake,” she said.
The governor implored the committee to thoroughly scrutinise the evidence she submitted and disregard any unsubstantiated claims.
“The precedence that this committee will set will be a point of reference in future impeachment processes and it is therefore expected that the decisions taken by this committee will not come back to haunt this House,” she said.
But the MCAs, through their lawyer Njiru Ndegwa asked the committee to recommend her removal for the sake of democracy and protection of devolution.
“Members of this honourable committee, when you retire to make your rulings and findings, don’t look at the hands of Governor Waiguru in the documents that have been executed. You must look beyond the execution of documents because that is her habit, not to sign any document that is committal in any manner,” Ndegwa said.
(edited by o. owino)