Meru Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) spent Sh3 million in legal fees to press for impeachment of governor Kawira Mwangaza in the year to June 2024, a new audit has revealed.
The audit reveals that the MCAs used funds they had not budgeted for to procure legal services for the impeachment, even as impeachments by other counties backfired in courts.
“..includes an expenditure of Sh3,000,000 paid to a private law firm for provision of legal services relating to impeachment of the Governor," the Auditor-General says.
"However, documentary evidence to confirm that procurement of legal services relating to the impeachment of the governor had been budgeted for was not provided for audit review.”
The Senate upheld the impeachment of Ms Mwangaza on August 21 last year in a third attempt to remove her from office.
Following the Senate decision, Ms Mwangaza went to block her removal from office at the High Court but its decision last week upholding the Senate decision was the last nail on her gubernatorial coffin.
On Monday, Mwangaza’s deputy Isaac Mutuma took charge of the county in a swearing-in ceremony attended by the majority of the county’s political leaders.
While Ms Mwangaza’s impeachment sailed through the courts swiftly, in Migori the county assembly was forced to pay its former speaker Charles Owino Sh10 million for removing him illegally.
Migori MCAs impeached Mr Owino in April 2024, with 59 out of 60 MCAs who were in the county assembly on the day passing the motion unanimously.
Mr Owino sued the county assembly complaining that the MCAs decision “breached his fundamental rights and was unlawful.”
In Vihiga County, a 2021 decision by MCAs to impeach four of Governor Wilbur Ottichilo’s county executive committee members backfired in the courts as the county assembly was ordered to pay them Sh2.05 million each.
MCAs ousted the four accusing them of incompetence, gross misconduct and violation of the law but they sought legal redress.
“A judgement was issued on November 28, 2023 that their rights were infringed during the impeachment process and each one of them was awarded general damages of Sh1,800,000 and exemplary damages of Sh250,000 payable by the County Assembly,” the Auditor-General says.
This would see the county assembly fork out Sh8.2 million in damages to the four former CECs, which had not been paid by June 2024.
