Kericho Impeachment : A Country on Sale, Just Bring Your Bid

 

By Kimutai Kirui | Human Rights Activist

Nairobi, Kenya – In the aftermath of what was supposed to be a constitutional process to hold a county governor accountable, Kenyans have instead witnessed a spectacle of betrayal, auctioneering, and political subterfuge. The impeachment trial of Kericho Governor Dr. Erick Mutai did not just fall short of justice—it exposed the underbelly of Kenya’s entire governance architecture.

The Senate, which ought to be a house of sober reflection and accountability, morphed into a marketplace of loyalty bids—a place where oversight is just a costume, and justice is bartered behind closed doors.

"This wasn’t oversight. It was a political hit job dressed up as due process," said Kimutai Kirui, a prominent human rights activist and commentator based in the Rift Valley. “The nation watched as what should have been a serious examination of public accountability turned into a circus. The real issue—corruption and abuse of office—was shoved aside, replaced with partisan theatre.”

And at the center of this drama? Senator Mungatana—a man some are now calling the “hired assassin in the House.” His role, Kirui claims, was not to interrogate evidence but to orchestrate acquittal.

“Senator Mungatana didn’t act like an impartial juror. He acted like a defence lawyer—a political fixer in a tailored suit, sanitizing graft under the spotlight,” said Kirui. “We should stop pretending. That hearing was never about justice. It was about control, money, and political survival.”

A Government for Hire

The Kericho impeachment did not just spotlight Governor Mutai; it unmasked the true nature of governance in Kenya—a system where power is for sale, and accountability is only real if it serves political interest.

“We have perfected the art of procuring leaders. Not for service to the people, but for allegiance to whoever holds the purse strings,” said Kirui. “The people? They’re just a forgotten audience, clapping for a show that was never meant for them.”

He lamented how public funds have become political fuel, siphoned off in broad daylight while Kenyans are buried under taxes, poor services, and broken promises.

“Money was stolen. That is not in doubt. Public funds disappeared into political bellies. The Kericho impeachment should have been a moment of reckoning. Instead, it became a stage for bargain-hunters—people seeking favours, not justice.”

MCAs or Mercenaries? Senators or Showmen?

Kirui did not spare the Kericho Members of County Assembly (MCAs) either. He labelled their initial move to impeach Mutai as clumsy, arrogant, and politically loaded.

“Let’s not pretend the MCAs were angels. They were cheeky, they were politically motivated, and yes—some were probably after a cut of the county loot. But what the Senate did outperformed even their worst behaviour. The Senate turned judgment into theatre, and exposed itself as an institution now driven by political puppeteering, not principles.”

The System Is Not Broken – It’s Working as Designed

Perhaps the most chilling part of Kirui’s statement is the assertion that Kenya isn’t failing—it's functioning exactly as it was rigged to.

“Kenya isn’t broken. It’s working just fine for those who run it. Justice is auctioned to the highest bidder. Integrity is optional. The law bends for those who can afford to bend it. Meanwhile, citizens foot the bill for a circus they never ordered, and get scolded for asking questions.”

Kirui described the impeachment process as a textbook case in manufactured innocence—where the guilty walk free because the system was never meant to convict them in the first place.

“The real thieves remain free—waiting for the next budget cycle, the next allocation, the next handshake. We call it oversight. I call it theatre. And the Kenyan taxpayer? Just the silent sponsor of a tragedy masquerading as democracy.”

What Now? Where Do We Go From Here?

Calling for national introspection and civic awakening, Kirui challenged Kenyans to reject this normalized betrayal and demand more than apologies and press briefings.

“We need to stop reacting like victims and start acting like citizens. The country is on sale. The question is—will you watch or will you act? Because what’s being auctioned isn’t just justice. It’s your future.”

In Kirui’s view, Kenya is at a tipping point—where silence will be interpreted as consent, and complicity will wear the face of neutrality.

“We are either going to rise and challenge the rot—or live with it and perish slowly in a sea of well-crafted lies. The Senate is not the problem. It’s a symptom. The disease is deeper—a political culture that sells truth for convenience and rewards betrayal with promotions.”

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