Senate committee hearings into the impeachment of Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony commenced yesterday, with the governor claiming that among those who discussed the impeachment Motion against him at the County Assembly was a drunken Member of County Assembly.
The governor through his lawyers, Peter Wanyama and Joel Bosek told the committee that the Speaker of the Kericho MCA to vote in the impeachment Motion, despite pleas that the member was incapable of comprehending the issues before the Assembly.
“The speaker was reluctant to throw out a member who was clearly drunk and rowdy. He also allowed the proceedings to begin outside the chamber. He was no longer acting as the speaker, but as a chief whip.
We have video evidence to show that a Member of the County Assembly was drunk during the discussion,” said Wanyama.
The claims by the governor attracted the wrath of the county assembly lawyer, George Ng’ang’a, who challenged him to substantiate the claims.
“I wish the learned counsel had a way of gauging a person’s level of drunkenness,” said Ng’ang’a.
The governor is facing charges of abuse of office, including failure to follow procedure in the procurement of goods and services. The 11-member committee chaired by Kisii Senator Chris Obure is expected to present its report to the House on Tuesday next week.
During the proceedings, the county assembly claimed that the embattled governor irregularly signed documents with a UK-based company, Blue Techs Group Limited, for the supply of 100 megawatts of solar power. The agreement had also committed the county to a 25-year lease agreement with the British firm.
“100 megawatts of power is almost 20 per cent of what KenGen produces. The Kericho County does not need such amount of power unless they were building a nuclear plant or constructing a ship manufacturing factory,” said Ng’ang’a.
Anglo Leasing
“I hope that the video that the governor is going to show us will also include activities of the company in any other part of the world.”
Chepkwony claimed that no money had been lost in the solar power transaction, prompting the county assembly lawyers to draw a comparison between the power project and the infamous Anglo Leasing scandal.
“The county assembly risks paying the money in future since there was a contract. It will be similar to what is happening in the Anglo Leasing scam. The obligation to pay does not only arise when money exchanges hands,” he said.
Wanyama defended the project, saying that it was intended to supply excess power to the national grid and that the county government had only entered into a memorandum of understanding with the British firm.
“The legal framework on private-public partnerships has 21 requirements and the county is subject to these obligations. The agreement with the UK firm was not binding,” said Wanyama.
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Recently, some Kericho County residents started collecting signatures to petition the Senate to reinstate Chepkwony.
Speaking to the Press at a Kericho hotel, the residents led by Joel Kimutai Soi said 15,000 residents had signed the petition forms in the campaign dubbed “Operation Stop Governor’s Impeachment.”
Flimsy grounds
He added that they target to marshal over 100,000 residents from across the county to sign the petition to be presented to the Senate committee.
“As voters who elected Governor Chepkwony in the last election, we believe the governor was impeached on flimsy grounds and that is why as residents we want the Senate to reinstate him,” said Soi.
The hearings continue this morning.
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