Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza is poised to face her fourth impeachment trial, with two counts of abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds.
The notice of motion, which will be tabled by Nominated MCA Zipporah Kinya on Wednesday, includes 11 specific allegations against the governor.
This move comes just three weeks shy of Ms. Mwangaza’s second anniversary as the county boss.
The impeachment motion arises amid a petition by nine residents urging President William Ruto to suspend the county government, arguing that it has failed the principles of devolution.
The first attempt to impeach Mwangaza occurred in November 2022, merely four months into her tenure, but was halted by the court due to a lack of public participation.
A subsequent motion led to her impeachment, but the Senate did not uphold the allegations in December 2022. Another motion filed in November last year was also overturned by the Senate.
The latest allegations against Governor Mwangaza include the illegal revocation of County Public Service Board Secretary Virginia Kagwiria’s appointment, failure to appoint autonomous board chairpersons, and not implementing or reporting on County Assembly resolutions.
Other charges involve the irregular dismissal of her legal adviser and several board executives, as well as appointing a county attorney without vetting by the County Assembly.
Ms. Mwangaza is also accused of misleading the public by falsely claiming that MCAs had raised Sh86 million for the family of the late blogger Bernard Muthiani, known as “Sniper.”
Financial allegations include irregular payments of Sh74 million as emergency call allowances to doctors, employing 111 personal staff leading to a wage bill of Sh500 million, and paying about Sh103 million in salaries through a manual payroll.
Additionally, she is faulted for paying a full salary to Christus Manyara, a public communication officer charged with murder, against the Public Service Commission disciplinary manual.
