Nairobi — Narc-Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua says the impeachment Motion against Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza is “ill-informed” as she called on the Senate to throw it out.
In an opinion article on Sunday, the former Justice and Constitutional Affairs Cabinet Minister said most of the issues cited as grounds for impeachment could have easily been handled through a reprimand or cured by nullification or revocation of such appointments and restarting impugned processes.
“This is what happened when Japhet Koome was named Inspector General without reference to the Police Service Commission. The missteps were quietly corrected and the required procedures were followed. In the case of the Inspector General, was later hired ‘competitively ‘. In other words, his unprocedural hiring was subsequently regularized,” Karua argued.
She further laughed off MCAs’ claim that Mwangaza’s flouted the Constitution by failing to subject a ‘non-existent honourary position’ held by her husband to competitive recruitment.
“The appointment of the First Gentleman of Meru County to an honourary position cannot by any stretch of imagination amount to gross violation of the Constitution… unless of course, the assembly is suggesting a mock competitive recruitment’,” she stated as went on to advise the Meru Governor to seek advisors who are versed on how government runs.
The Narc-Kenya leader said the embattled Governor may have fallen prey to an unspoken gender code that protects certain high-level males while dethroning women leaders on flimsy grounds.
“The Kawira impeachment is reminiscent of the dethroning of the first Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza for an omission that could otherwise have earned her a reprimand. While men in high office are shielded from allegations of high crime and gross misconduct, women are hounded out,” she claimed.
Karua argues that by upholding Mwangaza’s impeachment, the Senate will allow MCAs to act as both accusers and judges.
“One hopes that the legal advisers of the Senate and the Senate itself will be woke in this matter and that all donees of people’s power will henceforth remember such power must be used for the common good, not self-gratification,” she stated.
She questioned why Minority Whip Dennis Kiogora and 67 MCAs who backed the motion never declared whether they had a personal interest in the motion contrary to legislative parlance and rules of natural justice.
“The generalized grievances are clear evidence of the political tug-of-war and supremacy battle between the Assembly and the Governor. The Assembly appears to have used or abused its power to settle scores. This is not only a gross violation of the Constitution but a dangerous and unacceptable move that undermines our democracy,” Karua added stated.
Meru MCAs who backed the impeachment accused the governor of nepotism, illegal appointments, unlawful dismissals, usurpation of constitutional and statutory functions, incitement, bullying, vilification, and misleading campaigns against other leaders.
She was also accused of forced entry into the assembly and mobilizing unlawful riots against MCAs, violation of public finance management laws, and misconduct relating to the nomination of CEC Members.