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MCAs in fist fight after Kericho Governor Eric Mutai impeached for second time in a year
Kericho Governor Eric Mutai has been impeached by Members of the County Assembly for the second time.
A total of 33 MCAs voted in support of the Motion to remove him from office, Speaker Patrick Mutai announced. The motion was moved by Sigowet MCA Kiprotich Rogony.
However, it did not escape the eyes of keen observers that the electronic register only displayed those who voted in support of the Motion and failed to capture those who abstained or opposed it.
A photo of the electronic register that was used to tally the impeachment votes.
The session that started at 10:45am ended at 7:19pm with the governor's impeachment. Immediately after the Speaker confirmed the tally, chaos broke out at the Assembly.
The electronic voting process took exactly eight minutes. Once the Speaker announced the result, he immediately adjourned the session as the winners chanted on the floor of the House. Governor Mutai's supporters, however, were aggrieved.
A section of the MCAs from both sides engaged in name-calling, pushing and jostling in the House, and it took the orderlies several minutes to restore order as others left the chamber in a hurry.
Meanwhile, Nominated MCA Fancy Korir had earlier invited the wrath of the Speaker, who kicked her out of the chamber for alleged disorderly conduct.
Ms Korir had claimed that the County Assembly had not paid salaries to a section of the MCAs for the last one year, a position she could not substantiate, leading the Speaker to order the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort her out of the Chamber.
First impeachment - the numbers question
In the October 2024 vote, 31 MCAs voted to impeach the Governor, while 16 MCAs supported him.
The question on the threshold arose at the Senate as to whether the threshold for impeachment by the 47 MCAs was 31 or 32 votes.
But this time around, the mover of the motion appeared to have been keen to keep that debate from recurring by securing two additional votes from the ones that voted last year, raising the numbers to 33.
Manual vs electronic voting
Dr Mutai had spiritedly pitched for manual voting to be adopted by the Assembly in what appears to have fallen on deaf ears, as the Speaker directed that the electronic system would be adopted.
The governor repeatedly claimed that the electronic system was prone to manipulation and that the Speaker should, in the spirit of transparency, allow manual voting to be used.
“Mr Speaker, with humility, one string lying between me and death (politically) is fairness. Let’s do a roll call voting. Let the MCAs stand up and state whether they support or oppose the motion so I may go with dignity and fairness,” Dr Mutai stated.
“When the time comes to go, I will go with my head high as I am not guilty and not afraid.”
Dr Mutai faced charges of abuse of office, skewed, irregular and illegal appointments, and the sacking of senior officers, as well as nepotism in appointments.
The Governor allegedly presided over the pilferage of public resources, double payments to contractors, and flouted the Public Finance Management Act, the Constitution, and the County Governments Act.
He was also accused of causing the advertisement of the positions of health workers and early childhood development education teachers, well knowing the county did not have the capacity to employ them, in what was meant to endear himself to the voters.
Mr Katwa Kigen led a team of lawyers in spiritedly defending the Governor against the claims.
