With tension and hope looming in her eyes, Kawira Mwangaza’s waited as the senate held her fate today. The victory is finally felt.
For the second time the Members of Parliament were on her neck demanding her ouster from office stating seven violations that she committed while stewarding them as the Governor of Meru.
The senate has finally come to a stand still on the allegations placed against her saying that the motion was unsubstantiated.
“The result of the division indicates the senate has not upheld any of the charges. Therefore, the Senate has failed to remove from office the governor by impeachment. The governor accordingly continues to hold office,” Speaker Amason Kingi said while announcing the official results of the voting exercise.
In the first charge on misappropriation and misuse of public resources, 28 senators voted that the governor was innocent while 19 senators voted to say she was guilty.
On the charge of bullying, vilification, and demeaning of other leaders, three approved the charge while 44 Senators dismissed it.
On illegal appointment and usurpation of statutory powers charge, 26 senators voted against it while 20 voted in support. One Senator did not vote.
On Charge three, Contempt of Court, 44 senators vindicated the governor while three senators backed the assembly on the accusation.
On charge four the governor named a road after her husband, 43 senators dismissed the charges while four senators found the governor guilty.
On the charge of nepotism and unethical practices, 42 senators voted to save the governor while five senators supported it.
On the charge of contempt of the assembly, 36 senators proved the governors innocence through their voting while 10 voted to support the Assembly claim.
This victory comes after she was seen unable to hold her emotions before the senate earlier on Wednesday as she pleaded for a second chance to lead the Meru people.
“If there is a leader in this house, in Meru, and in Kenya that I have wronged, I ask for forgiveness,” Mwangaza said as she pleaded with the senate to save her from loosing the leadership.
Before the decision was made, Aaron Cheruiyot, senator of Kericho said that the senators were of the decision that Meru be given a fresh start and invocation of article 192 of the constitution be done.
“It cannot be that all these 59 MCAs in two different occasions in less than a year say you are unfit for office and they are wrong. Should God grant you the case to lead the people of Meru then change your ways and find it in your heart a way to work with other leaders,” he said.
The rest of the senators showed their disagreements on the impeachment motion urging the Meru people to embrace their leader and if at another point they find her unfit for office, they should substantiate their claims.
“A house of parliament is a house of records, we cannot be sitting here for hours to listen to evidence from a document that is not verified and is unlawful,” Vihiga senator, Godfrey Osotsi remarked.