Kericho Governor Survives Impeachment Bid as Senate Rejects County Assembly Vote

 

Kericho Governor Dr. Eric Mutai has survived yet another attempt to remove him from office after the Senate rejected impeachment proceedings initiated by the County Assembly. The Senate found that the two-thirds majority required for the motion to proceed had not been conclusively proven.

The Senate spent three days deliberating the matter, with the central issue being whether the County Assembly had met the constitutional voting threshold during the impeachment process. Disputes over the accuracy of the electronic voting system — installed just a day before the impeachment motion — overshadowed the substantive charges brought against the Governor.

The County Assembly had accused Governor Mutai of violating the Constitution and other laws, abuse of office, and gross misconduct. However, Senators questioned the credibility of the voting process, particularly the number of Members of County Assembly (MCAs) who actually participated in the vote.

The Governor, in his defense, called nearly 20 witnesses — including 18 MCAs and an ICT expert — to challenge the validity of the vote. The County Assembly, on its part, presented six witnesses, while the Senate brought in an independent expert from the ICT Authority. Despite the testimonies, none of the experts could definitively verify whether 33 MCAs voted in support of the motion — the number required for a two-thirds majority.

When the matter was put to a vote in the Senate, 26 Senators rejected the impeachment motion, citing unverifiable voting at the County Assembly. Sixteen Senators supported the motion, and one abstained.

Senator Okong’o Omogeni criticized the newly installed electronic voting system, describing it as a "special-purpose vehicle designed to take the Governor home." He said, “I have sat here for three days, but I am unable to understand this system. The experts only managed to create reasonable doubt in my mind about whether 33 MCAs actually voted.”

Senator Danson Mungatana echoed these sentiments, expressing concern over lingering doubts created by the expert testimonies. He also argued that the standard of proof in Governor impeachment cases should be raised to the level of criminal trials — requiring proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Senator Tom Ojienda emphasized that since the voting process lacked credibility, the benefit of doubt must go to the Governor. Senator Godfrey Osotsi went further, dismissing the ICT Authority's report entirely, arguing that it lacked supporting documentation.

Following the vote, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi terminated the proceedings, stating that without a confirmed two-thirds majority vote at the County Assembly, the Senate had no legal basis to continue with the trial.