Nyamira County Governor Amos Nyaribo.
The impeachment of Nyamira County Governor Amos Nyaribo has taken a new twist after three Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) denied participating in the voting exercise.
The MCAs—Julius Nyangana, Elijah Abere, and Priscilla Nyatichi—have filed a criminal complaint at Nyali Police Station in Mombasa under OB 46/25/11/25, at the time they purportedly delegated voting rights to impeach the governor.
The MCAs have accused those who claimed they authorised absentee voting of forgery, for which they will seek legal redress.
They also accused County Speaker Thaddeus Nyabaro of misleading the public by stating that they had delegated their voting rights.
“I did not send anyone to vote on my behalf during the governor's impeachment. I am concerned about what to do. I reported in Mombasa and instructed my advocate to take action,” said Ms Nyatichi.
“Regardless of the circumstances, I will go to court for defamation and to restore my dignity. I was in Mombasa with my children when I was purported to have voted. When I see my signature and stamp, I will know who this person is that claims I wanted them to vote for me.”
The MCA expressed her desire to see evidence from Safaricom, confirming whether she spoke to anyone about voting on her behalf.
Mr Abere strongly denied instructing anyone to cast a vote for him.
He stated that he did not speak to anyone to represent his voting rights during the exercise.
On Tuesday last week, when Mr Nyaribo was impeached, Speaker Nyabaro mentioned that four MCAs who were absent from the assembly requested to be represented by proxies during the voting. A total of 19 MCAs were physically present in the legislative house.
“A total of 23 MCAs voted to remove Governor Amos Nyaribo from office by way of impeachment. The two-thirds threshold has been met,” said Speaker Thaddeus Nyabaro.
The alleged 23 MCAs voted to remove Mr Nyaribo over accusations of gross constitutional violations and abuse of office.
This was the third time the governor had faced impeachment, with the previous two attempts failing upon arrival at the county assembly floor.
However, the latest process raises integrity questions, given the allegations by the three MCAs.
Nyamira County has 35 assembly seats: 20 for elected ward representatives and the remainder for nominated members.
At the time of the impeachment voting, three wards—Nyamaiya, Ekerenyo, and Nyansiongo—were vacant, suggesting potential integrity issues concerning the winning number, especially with protests from those alleged to have directed their colleagues to represent them.
Based on the numbers, only 19 MCAs were physically present during the vote, and of the 23 who voted in support of the motion, 4 reportedly did so through proxies.
Given these developments, the impeachment exercise against Mr Nyaribo might face serious questions regarding the numbers already being cited.
The electorate of Nyamira will await with bated breath to see how the Senate addresses this controversial issue.
Mr Nyaribo’s tenure in office has been marred by controversy with unending fights between him, MCAs and other elected leaders from the county.
His deputy, Dr James Gesami and Senator Okong'o Omogeni are among the leaders he has had fights with.
He took over from the late John Nyagarama and at one point, when he was his deputy, he was declared persona non grata at the county premises.
He faced physical ejection and had his vehicles deflated while being banished from premises he was constitutionally entitled to work from.
