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Nairobi, Kenya: Senate will Friday afternoon hold a special sitting to either accept or reject a report on the proposed impeachment of Murang'a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria.
The Special Committee, chaired by Kitui Senator David Musila, said should any of the allegations against the county boss be substantiated, Wa Iria will be granted an opportunity to defend himself before senators at the sitting scheduled for 3pm.
The governor's defence team Friday persuaded the committee to terminate the proposed impeachment since the county assembly had not followed the constitutional provisions in initiating and adopting it.
Wa Iria's lawyer Ng'ang'a Mbugua said the process that led to the impeachment by the members of the county assembly (MCAs) was unconstitutional and premature therefore null and void.
He continued to demonstrate to the 11-member committee that the assembly violated all the provisions in moving the motion by not giving the county boss an opportunity to be heard.
In his preliminary submission, Mbugua claimed the governor was not even aware the motion was moved and only learnt of it through the media.
"The MCAs had ill intention that they did not even show deliberate efforts to hear the governor,'' he said.
They said allowing Wa Iria to appear before the assembly was critical and would have allowed him to shed light on the allegations made against him.
The team also accused the assembly of not involving the public in the process despite the governor being popularly elected.
The team said that it would be premature for the senate to make decision while the oversight mechanisms at the county level had not been exhausted.
Wa Iria's defence team further moved to dismantle the 25 grounds on which the assembly adopted his removal from office saying it was motivated by malice and ulterior motives after he rejected Sh700 million Ward Development Fund.
On the purchase of land at Sh340 million, Mbugua said due process was followed in procuring the piece of land, by inviting bidders and refuted claims by the assembly that it was through restricted tender.
"Request for proposal is not a restricted tendering and therefore it is a fallacy that the process was not competitive," added Mbugua.
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