- After being cleared of the impeachment charges, the governor penned down a thank you message on her social media account.
- Mwangaza thanked God for her triumph.
Image: Screengrab
Emotions were running high and Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza could not hold back her tears after the Senate acquitted her of all seven charges brought up against her by the Meru County Assembly.
The Senate plenary which went late into Wednesday night dismissed all the charges in a vote, giving her a new lease of life in the county where County Assembly Members have kicked her out twice.
As Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi was reading out the final verdict, an emotional governor covered her face with her hand as she was cleared of all the charges.
"The result of the division indicates the Senate has not upheld any of the charges. Therefore, the Senate has failed to remove the governor by impeachment. The governor accordingly continues to hold office," Kingi said.
After being cleared of the impeachment charges, the governor penned down a thank you message on her social media account.
Mwangaza thanked God for her triumph
"Glory be to God. Meru has won," she said on her Facebook account.
Glory be to God. Meru has Won
Posted by Hon Kawira Mwangaza on Wednesday, November 8, 2023
She faced charges of misappropriation and misuse of resources, nepotism, bullying, illegal appointments, contempt of court, and naming a road after her husband illegally.
Governor Mwangaza denied all the charges and put up a spirited defense saying she was being victimised as a woman leader by the male-dominated county assembly.
In the first charge, which pertained to misappropriation and misuse of public resources, 28 senators voted to declare the governor innocent, while 19 senators voted to find her guilty.
Regarding the second charge of nepotism and unethical practices, 42 senators deemed it unsubstantiated, while five senators found her guilty.
On the third charge, which accused the governor of bullying, vilification, and demeaning other leaders, 44 senators cleared her of the charge, with only three senators stating she was guilty.
In the fourth charge, which involved illegal appointment and usurpation of statutory powers, 26 senators voted against it, while 20 voted in support. One senator abstained from voting.
Charge five, which alleged contempt of court, was dismissed by 44 senators, with three senators supporting the accusation.
For the sixth charge, where the governor was accused of naming a road after her husband, 43 senators rejected the charges, while four senators supported the accusations.
In the final charge, which alleged contempt of the assembly, 36 senators found the offence unsubstantiated, while 10 senators declared the governor guilty.