Kericho Governor Mutai faces fresh impeachment bid

Kericho Governor Erick Mutai once again faces an impeachment attempt, barely a year after surviving a similar bid in the Senate.

On Wednesday, Kedowa/Kimugul Ward MCA Nicholas Chumba tabled a fresh motion in the county assembly, citing new evidence of fraudulent payments and gross financial impropriety.

Chumba accuses the governor of presiding over a governance system steeped in opacity and corruption.

He claims that a recent Ad Hoc Committee report, adopted by the Assembly on Tuesday, revealed widespread misuse of public funds, irregular procurement, and fictitious payments amounting to millions of shillings.

The MCA alleges that public funds were used without lawful authority and that the governor has failed to exercise oversight over county finances.

Chumba says while Governor Mutai survived the first impeachment attempt last October due to a lack of a two-thirds majority in the Senate, the new evidence provides sufficient grounds for his removal.

"If you excuse this, you declare open season for theft in Kericho," Chumba says in his submission to the county assembly speaker.

Another Kericho County Assembly member on Wednesday also tabled a motion for Dr Mutai’s ouster, alleging tender irregularities as well as misappropriation of money meant for various projects.

Sigowet Ward MCA Kiprotich Rogony claims that all goods, services, and works were paid for in advance, yet the county has pending bills of over Ksh.1 billion.

In October 2024, the Senate voted to stop impeachment proceedings against the embattled county boss through a motion by Sigowet Ward MCA Kiprotich Rogony, which accused Mutai of gross constitutional violations, abuse of office, and misuse of public resources. 

Rogony also accused the governor of leading a mob to seize private land in Kericho town for use as an unapproved dumpsite and coercing women into inappropriate sexual acts. 

Thirty-one out of 47 Members of the county assembly had voted to impeach him earlier in the month after 16 others who supported him boycotted the session.

But Mutai denied the allegations. He argued the county assembly failed to achieve the two-thirds threshold for his ouster.

Some 34 senators voted to uphold the governor’s objection, against 10 who voted to impeach him.