Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza.
Since she declared her intention to contest the Meru County gubernatorial seat in 2022 while serving as the second county Woman Representative, Faith Kawira Mwangaza’s rise to the county’s top seat has been dramatic.
Governor Mwangaza has literally undergone baptism of fire.
Facing the Senate for the third of five impeachment motions against her in two years, Ms Mwangaza is Kenya's governor with the proverbial nine lives.
With all eyes on the Senate on Monday and Tuesday, the question on most Kenyans' lips is whether Ms Mwangaza will extend her winning streak.
She likens her suffering to being taken to Calvary, a representation of the crucifixion, or an experience of usually intense psychological suffering.
“For the past two years I have gone through a lot of suffering¸ I have been fought left right and centre. But I derive strength from knowing that you, the people, are behind me and I have your prayers.
“It has been God all through, and your support. If it was another weak woman, they would spend all the time in bed,” she told residents of Runyenye where the county is building a rehabilitation and treatment centre.
Ms Mwangaza faced the first huddle when a voter moved to court seeking to have her, and her running mate Isaac M’Ethingia barred from the gubernatorial contest claiming they did not have valid degree certificates.
The duo successfully fought the suit by one Mr Dickson Mwenda just in time for clearance by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Gruelling campaign
She was then dragged through a gruelling campaign where she faced seasoned politicians Mr Kiraitu Murungi, the incumbent and Mr Mithika Linturi, who was the senator and riding on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party wave.
While Ms Mwangaza contested as an Independent, Mr Linturi was flying the UDA ticket, riding on the Kenya Kwanza popularity, while Mr Murungi of DEP enjoyed support from the Azimio wing.
Mr Murungi, the incumbent, had not lost any election during his 30-year political career and the odds seemed stacked against Ms Kawira, who did not even print campaign posters.
Ms Mwangaza caused a major upset when she trounced the duo, garnering 209,148 votes, against Mr Linturi’s 183, 859, with Mr Murungi trailing with 110, 814 votes.
But Lawrence Mutwiri, the governor's chief adviser on political affairs, says that despite the resounding victory, their opponents vowed to settle the score in the assembly.
UDA and DEP control the assembly, having won 13 seats apiece of the 45 wards, with Jubilee taking six, PNU four, National Ordinary People Empowerment Union two, DP and DPK one apiece, while five are Independents.
All the impeachment motions have been moved by MCAs from UDA (majority party with 21 members and DEP (minority, 20 members) in the 69-member assembly.
“Even during campaigns, there was word that even if she won, they would still impeach her since they controlled the House.
“They vowed to frustrate her as her political muscle became elaborate and her win was detected three months before the elections,” claims Mr Mutwiri.
During the successive impeachment motions, MCAs have been whipped along party lines, with those dissenting punished.
Already, 13 MCAs who have been supporting Ms Kawira have written to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi after they were kicked out of plum Public Accounts, Budget and Appropriation and Implementation committees.
Nominated MCA Ruth Kananu Limungi of DEP says they lose between Sh150,000 and Sh200,000 monthly allowances, due to their association with Ms Kawira and accuses the assembly leadership of political intolerance.
“Every time the governor approaches the MCAs to initiate dialogue, the assembly derails it by issuing a warning that no one should attend and those who attend are punished,” Ms Kananu said.
“There are people with vested interests and they drag other members to fight their battles. We were removed from committees yet the allowances are not returned to the Treasury,” she added.
The MCA claims she has lost approximately Sh4 million for the past one and half years she has been working with the governor.
Kiirua Naari MCA Jennifer Murogocho (DEP) who is the only elected female MCA in the county, said she has been succumbing to threats and expected to be punished after she started supporting Ms Mwangaza.
“We are usually pushed to support the impeachments and toe the party line. A political party is just a vehicle to get one elected, but the common mwananchi has the final say.
“I have been threatened with ejection from my role as Sports Committee chair, I am ready to be ejected. The electorate told me to work with the governor and I will never fight her again,” she said.
The governor says she has acceded to various demands to appease the county representatives, including the withdrawal of the county First Gentleman Murega Baichu from attending public meetings, but to no avail.
Ms Mwangaza says there had been ridiculous demands, among them that Mr Murega stop wearing his trademark fedora in public events and shave his beard.
Mr Baichu who has declared intentions to contest the UDA secretary seat at the county seldom attends official meetings and has been engaging in farming in Buuri.
The MCAs have also fought her popular ‘Okolea initiative’ and blocked her flagship Sh67 million “one cow, one needy family” programme and slashed her office budget to fund her estranged deputy Mutuma M’Ethingia.
Ms Mwangaza also agreed to increase the ward fund from Sh15 million to Sh33 million in the 45 wards following a showdown with the MCAs.
Mr M'Ethingia who once said her boss was being impeached because Meru was a patriarchal society now supports the removal which would see him ascend to power.
He had on December 12, 2022, likened the impeachment to how the first female MP AnnaRita Karimi was hounded out of office and incarcerated.
Corruption
"It has taken us 47 years to restore the leadership of a woman in Meru and now the same men are seeking to hound her out. They want to repeat what happened in 1976.
“She is being persecuted because she doesn't support corruption. We urge President William Ruto to safeguard the leadership of women," he had pleaded.
But despite the setbacks, the governor is putting on a brave face and is confident of emerging triumphant as she faces the senate for a third time in two years.
“In the two years, despite all that pressure, I have delivered more than the 10 years under (Governors) Peter Munya and Kiraitu Murungi,” she says.
Ms Kananu says Ms Mwangaza’s popularity has increased because she is always on the ground
Mr Mutwiri says it raised eyebrows that UDA allowed their MCA to move the motion against the governor yet she associated herself with the party.
“When you find a nominated MCA pushing a motion through a party whose governor is an associate member that shows that someone is controlling the MCA.
“I request President William Ruto, who is the party leader of the UDA where Governor Kawira is an associate member and a friend, to intervene to call a round table meeting to have the matter,” he appealed.
