Fundamental questions raised by Mwangaza's impeachment

Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza with her lawyers Elias Mutuma and Elisha Ongoya during the impeachment hearing before the Senate Assembly on August 19, 2024 [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The ugly events that have been playing out at the County Government of Meru highlight a serious flaw in the constitutional design of our devolved system. Within bounds of basic decency, it is unacceptable for a County Assembly (CA) to impeach an elected governor three times within 24 months. The whole charade boils down to adults behaving badly in public.

Meru is now the third county to experience a complete breakdown of governance under the Constitution. First it was Makueni in the early years of devolution, narrowly avoiding dissolution thanks to former President Uhuru Kenyatta. Embu followed, losing almost an entire electoral term to disputes between former Governor Martin Wambora and the CA, with the courts ultimately resolving the matter for the benefit of Embu's residents.

Marsabit County has also had a fair share of unrelated drama that saw President Kenyatta threaten to dissolve the County Government following lengthened deadly politically instigated tribal conflicts. In Meru, all efforts to bring sanity among the elected leaders seem to have hit a brick wall. Even the highly respected ‘Njuri Njeke’ among the Ameru people have washed their hands off the political wrangles in the county.