Senate to hear Kericho Governor Erick Mutai’s impeachment motion in plenary

Senators will hear the impeachment motion against Kericho Governor Dr. Erick Mutai through the plenary after they failed to support a motion by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna to establish a special committee of 11 members to investigate the charges.

The motion by Sifuna failed to move through after Nominated Senator Veronica Maina declined to second it.

Speaker Amason Kingi thereafter ruled that the hearing on the impeachment motion will be heard on October 14-15, 2024.

“Both parties should file their relevant documents with the Office of the Clerk of the Senate by Saturday evening with the Senate hearing the impeachment motion against Kericho Governor Dr. Erick Mutai on Monday and Tuesday next week,” said Kingi.

However, Senate Majority Whip Boni Khalwale wanted the Speaker to increase the number of days the hearings will take place, saying the two-day period usually allocated to the witnesses is too short and normally puts too much pressure on them.

“Having witnessed previous impeachment hearings, the pressure put on witnesses is too high. I would request that you leave open the number of days we can hear this matter, so that we deal with the issues exhaustively,” Khalwale pleaded.

Speaker Kingi said the proposal by Khalwale will be considered in future, and that in recognition of the impeachment process against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua currently ongoing in the National Assembly and which may come to the Senate, they may not have the luxury of time.

Kingi informed the House that pursuant to Standing Order 48 (3), he had received a message from the Speaker of the Kericho County Assembly regarding a resolution for the proposed removal from office of Governor Mutai.

“The Governor is accused of gross violation of the Constitution and other laws with misappropriation, misallocation and illegal drawing of county revenue and county finances, misappropriation or abetting misappropriation of publicly raised funds,” said Kingi.

The Senate will discuss the motion despite the existence of a court order blocking the hearing of the matter.

The order restrained the Senate from receiving the resolution, thus stopping the impeachment process until the case filed at Kericho High Court is heard.

The court also ordered Mutai, who is the petitioner, to retain, hold, serve and discharge all functions of Governor of Kericho County Government pending the hearing of the case.

"Pending the interpartes hearing of the notion, an interim order is hereby issued restraining the Speaker of the County Assembly of Kericho from submitting to the Senate the resolution made on October 2, 2024, by the County Assembly of Kericho to impeach the Governor, Kericho County," the order stated.