Former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza speaks on March 18, 2025/SCREENGRABFormer Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has termed her impeachment a total sham and vowed to launch a spirited legal challenge in the coming days.
Speaking on Tuesday evening, a day after her deputy Isaac Mutuma was sworn into office after the High Court affirmed her ouster Friday last week, Mwangaza said she will not be silenced.
"I will pursue all legal avenues to clear my name and expose the injustices that have been perpetrated against me. This is not just my fight; it is a fight for every woman who dares to dream of leadership in a society that often seeks to crush those dreams," she said.
"In the coming days, I will be exploring all legal and constitutional avenues to challenge this injustice. I will also continue to engage with the people of Meru to ensure that their voices are heard and their needs are met."
Mwangaza blamed her impeachment on a group of male leaders who she alleged masterminded her ouster.
She said the leaders were scared of her "unwavering dedication to the truth and the welfare of the people of Meru."
Mwangaza claimed that she was targeted because of her refusal to compromise her principles and play by the political manipulation.
"My impeachment was not based on any legitimate grounds, but was instead a politically motivated scheme... The impeachment process was a sham orchestrated by predominantly male politicians who manipulated the system to remove me from office."
Mwangaza was speaking publicly for the first time since the court threw out a petition she had filed to challenge the Senate's decision of August 20, 2024, to send her packing.
Senate's verdict followed the county Assembly of Meru's move to impeach her for the third time on August 8, where 40 out of 69 MCAs voted in support of the impeachment motion tabled by Majority Leader Zipporah Kinya.
Mwangaza had in her petition argued that the impeachment process did not follow due process as she was denied the right to defend herself and that there was no public participation.
However, in his ruling rendered on Friday, March 14, Justice Bahati Mwamuye dismissed the petition, stating that the impeachment process followed the proper legal procedures.
"The amended petition dated December 23, 2024, has not met the required legal threshold for this court to disturb the decision of the Senate," he said.
"The gazette notice dated August 20, 2024, issued by the Senate communicating the decision to remove the petitioner from office as the governor of Meru, the impeachment is affirmed," the judge ruled.
The verdict was met with song and dance across Meru County, with the scenes of jubilation being replicated during Mutuma's oath-taking ceremony at Mwendantu grounds in Meru on Monday.
"The orchestrators, planners, actors, sponsors, financiers, script writers of my impeachment were overwhelmed by joy and could no longer hide behind their mask anymore," Mwangaza said.
In her statement, which she delivered in her native language and English, the former county boss pointed an accusing finger at the national government for abating what she termed an undemocratic process.
"The voices of the Meru residents who elected me were ignored. Even the courts, which should have been my refuge, were interfered with to block my access to justice," she said.
Mwangaza beat all the odds to be elected Meru's third governor, beating a male-dominated field of seasoned politicians to clinch the seat on an independent ticket during the August 9, 2022 general elections.
