- Mwangaza became the third Governor to be removed from office by impeachment after Kiambu’s Ferdinand Waititu and Nairobi’s Mike Sonko in 2020.
- Senate approved the nomination of Douglas Kanja Kirocho as the Inspector General of the National Police Service.
Image: COURTESY
All focus was on the Senate last week as Meru governor Kawira Mwangaza appeared before the House, hoping to get another political lifeline after MCAs impeached her.
It was the third time Meru ward reps had impeached the embattled governor.
Mwangaza was first impeached by the County Assembly in December 2022, but an 11-member Senate Special Committee found that none of the charges against her were proven.
In November 2023, the Senate granted her another political lifeline after she pleaded for forgiveness and a second chance.
After a protracted process, the Senate on Wednesday voted to remove her from office, marking the end of Mwangaza’s turbulent tenure.
"The Senate has resolved to remove Kawira Mwangaza from office," Speaker Amason Kingi announced and explained that the charges against the Governor, including "gross violation of the Constitution and other laws, gross misconduct, and abuse of office," had been upheld by the Senate.
Mwangaza became the third Governor to be removed from office by impeachment after Kiambu’s Ferdinand Waititu and Nairobi’s Mike Sonko in 2020.
But hours after the Senate decision, Mwangaza moved to the High Court to block her removal. The court suspended the Senate’s decision to uphold her impeachment.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye, at the same time, restrained Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi from publishing in the Kenya Gazette Notice a declaration of a vacancy in the office of the Governor of Meru County.
“Merciful God,” the Meru governor posted on social media soon after Mwamuye delivered the ruling.
It was not the first time the governor has taken to social media to celebrate wins in her latest impeachment case.
“Hallelujah,” the Meru County boss said on X after news broke that she would appear before plenary for the hearing and not the 11-member committee.
In her final submission before the Senate, the embattled governor recounted her efforts to reconcile with the Meru County Assembly and local leaders, including MPs, for the sake of the county’s progress.
Approval of Police IG nominee Douglas Kanja
During the week, the Senate approved the nomination of Douglas Kanja Kirocho as the Inspector General of the National Police Service.
The approval followed a report presented by the Joint Committee of the National Assembly's Administration and Internal Security and the Senate's Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations.
Senators urged Kanja to serve Kenyans with professionalism. They urged him to address pressing challenges within the police service, such as officers' welfare, lack of security vehicles, and corruption.
The joint committee informed the House that it received a total of 30 memoranda from the public on the suitability of the nominee.
It noted that out of the 30 memoranda received, 23 were in support of the approval of the nominee from the public.
New university funding model
Members of the National Assembly, on the other hand, demanded that the Ministry of Education streamline the implementation of the new university funding model.
The meeting, chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula also urged the ministry to explore ways to make university education free.
State Department of Higher Education and Research PS Beatrice Muganda, Vice-Chancellor, University of Embu, and the Chairman, Vice-Chancellor’s Committee Daniel Njiru and the Chief Executive Officer, Universities Fund Geoffrey Monari were present at the meeting.
MPs sought to know whether all students would benefit from the new funding model.
The MPs said a consolidation of all funds meant to facilitate learning in all public and private universities would be a better way of making the fund more accessible to all learners.
They said the current model was complex and inaccessible to most students, locking many would be learners out of the funding system.
Addressing the concern on Thursday, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said many students miss out on scholarships and loans under the new model for providing the wrong information.
Koskei explained that if a student wrote that either of his parents worked as a managing director in trying to elevate their status, they will automatically be placed in band 5 which is for families with a monthly income of more than Sh120,000.