This archive report was first published on 12 June 2020.
June 12, 2020 - The Senate Business Committee has recommended that Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru face the Senate plenary in her impeachment case, following the precedent set in the case of Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu.
Waiguru was impeached by Kirinyaga County MCAs on charges including embezzlement of county funds and abuse of office. The impeachment was dramatic, with Waiguru attempting to scuttle it.
After the High Court declined to nullify Waiguru's impeachment, a new battlefront has opened on whether she should face the plenary or a special committee.
Shadowy forces are pushing for a special committee to be formed, which would be manipulated in Waiguru's favor and vote to quash the Kirinyaga County Assembly's vote. However, this would undermine the Senate's integrity and set a bad precedent.
Voices from the civil society and business class are calling for due process to be followed, with the Senate leadership headed by Majority Leader Senator Pogoshio, Majority Whip Senator Kangáta, and Minority Whip James Orengo expected to assert the Senate's oversight position.
The House committee notes that allowing Waiguru's case to deviate from the set plenary precedence would paint a bad picture of the Senate, especially at a time when accountability for devolved funds is a national concern.
"It would be unfair if we got back to the same argument that we had during governor Waititu's impeachment. It went the plenary way and precedence was set, let us stick by it so that Kenyans know that the Senate is a house of precedence and order," a member of the Senate Business Committee revealed.
