Meru leaders must stop fighting the governor and get down to hard work

Meru county MCAs in a song and dance as they waited for the motion to impeach Governor Kawira Mwanga to be tabled in the Assembly. [George Kaimenyi, Standard]

Meru County is staring at political collapse. Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) have twice impeached Governor Kawira Mwangaza. They have accused her of misgovernance and nepotism. The accusations have partially been inspired by misogyny. Senior politicians in the county are on record for having opposed Kawira simply because she is a woman who "lacks respect."

The resolution of the intra-elite conflict in Meru will have serious implications for the continued consolidation of devolution. The efficient secret of devolution is that it is supposed to facilitate self-governance at the grassroots. It is supposed to ensure that county governments' policy priority approximate, as much as possible, those of the people they govern.