Kisii Deputy Governor Robert Monda was shown the door by an overwhelming majority of senators who voted to remove him from office. The senators voted to uphold all four charges brought against Monda by the Kisii Assembly. If Monda has any wisdom left, he should not even bother appealing this well-deserved action by the Senate, which no doubt would be upheld by the courts. Instead, Monda should fade away and, if there is some modicum of civility left in him, start the process of healing for his family.
Monda said he was embarrassed that the Senate discussed his family, but this was a disingenuous assertion akin to someone apologizing not for the offence but for being caught committing it. Monda’s family affairs were dragged into the Senate hearing by none other than Monda himself. Putting aside the bribery and corruption that was at the center of the hearing, Monda bringing a father to testify against his son was as low and sad as it gets.
Had Monda been wiser, he would have resigned long before he was brought before the Senate.
And even if one assumes Monda believed he was just as corrupt as any politician holding any position of power — and that one who could use the loot stolen or ill-gotten to fend off any consequences, then the least Monda should have done is simply return money to the young man from whom he took the bribe.
Greed and a false sense of invincibility can and often lead to self-destruction, as was clearly evident in the Monda case.
But there were other takeaways from the Monda impeachment.
First, Monda became the first deputy governor to be removed from office through impeachment since the counties were established in 2013.
We have had a total of 11 governors and four deputies, including Monda impeached by MCAs since 2013, but only two – former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu – were successfully removed from office. The rest were either rescued by the Senate or the courts. With that failure/success rate, it is no surprise many of these governors and deputy governors continue to engage in corruption with impunity.
Second, we don’t need deputy governors at all. In fact, some of us have been arguing since before the passage and promulgation of the Constitution that we don’t need 47 counties, let alone 47 governors. While devolution was a thoughtful and necessary vehicle of development created by the 2010 Constitution, impediments, and undesirable side effects such as exacerbation of bloated government is now undoubtedly manifest, and something must be done about it.
Indeed, it has been almost 14 years since the constitution was passed. Time is nigh to revisit the constitution to see what has worked well and what has not, which needs fixing.
However, with President William Ruto in survival mode and the opposition still trying to find its way, having gotten lost in 2022, it is unlikely anything can be done about revisiting the constitution now.
That time will come, and it will likely be after the 2027 election. Many, including myself, believe 2027 will be a watershed moment, no different from 2002.
Constitutional reform can only come when there’s an overwhelming majority of the country longing for it, which means if 2027 is not the watershed moment we believe it would be, then expect more of the same for another decade or more.
More of the same bloated government with nothing to show relative to improving people’s lives, more of the same, eating by a few, and more unimpeded corruption at all levels of government.
The third takeaway from Monda’s Senate impeachment is who Monda had as his lawyer. Monda chose South Mugirango MP Sylvestor Osoro as one of his lawyers, whom Senate Speaker Amason Kingi rightly barred from representing Monda after Senator Samson Cherargei and others objected to the representation.
Why did Monda pick Osoro to represent him? It doesn’t take a genius to conclude because somehow Osoro has convinced, especially the most gullible, that he is so powerful that he can do as he pleases in Gusii or in getting his way elsewhere. That’s not the case.