Ole Kina moves motion to form committee to probe Mwangaza

Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina has moved a motion to compel the House to form a special committee to investigate impeachment allegations against Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza.

Ole Kina, who is the Senate Minority Whip, said the senators will have the ultimate decision after the 11-member committee tables its report.

"You and I will have the opportunity to make the final decision,'' he said insisting that it is not the work of the senators to impeach a governor.

''The governor is impeached at the county and not at the Senate."

The senator said impeachment is a very painful process that requires a governor to be heard.

"I am not discussing the merit or demerits to confirm or reject the charges of the case, but I am persuading you to consider this 11-member committee," he said.

The senator said the committee route is the best option to give the process quality input that would guarantee justice and fairness.

"An impeachment process is a very painful process to go through and it is important to know the consequences and the unintended consequences,'' he said.

Supporting the motion, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna asked senators not to join the cacophony of 'public noise' and instead sieve through the evidence.

Backing the motion to form a committee, Sifuna said the committee allows the nominated senators to have a say on an impeachment motion.

"I want to beg this house that let us go the route of the committee that will enable us to interrogate the evidence and cross-examine witnesses,'' he said.

"If it is plenary, you will not get an opportunity to exercise what you can do at the committee level."

But some senators including those from Mt Kenya East backed a whole house to probe the allegations.

"Let all the 67 senators make a decision," Embu Senator Mundi Mundigi said.

Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu said that given that the governor is being impeached for the second time, they should go the plenary way.

''This is like the Meru MCAs are appealing to the Senate," he said.

Earlier, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi formerly read out impeachment allegations against Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza.

The speaker on Tuesday read out the charges and the evidence adduced by the Meru County Assembly in support of the impeachment motion.

The governor was impeached last Wednesday after 59 MCAs of the 69 ward representatives voted in favour of the impeachment motion.

"I hereby proceed to read out the charges for the impeachment motion," said Kingi as he tabled the report on Wednesday afternoon.

"This is to inform you that on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, the County Assembly of Meru vide a resolution and under the provisions of Article 181 of the Constitution of Kenya, approved a motion for the removal of Governor Kawira Mwangaza by impeachment."

The Speaker said the Assembly had submitted several documents in support of the impeachment process.

The Assembly submitted a copy of the notice of motion for the proposed removal from office of the governor, Order papers for the County Assembly sittings, certified Hansard reports of the proceedings and copies of certified signatures of the MCAs in support of the impeachment motion.

Also submitted is a copy of the roll call vote during the impeachment motion proceedings and report of the budget and appropriations committee and a copy of the public participation report laid on the county assembly.