This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
Impeachment Motion Against Governor Waiguru ¶
On June 9, the Kirinyaga County assembly members impeached Governor Anne Waiguru, accusing her of gross violation of the Constitution, the law, and abuse of office.
According to the assembly members, Governor Waiguru has never had time for them and has a dim view of the county assembly and its constitutional oversight mandate.
During a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday, the assembly members portrayed Governor Waiguru as a corrupt individual who manages county public affairs as she pleases.
They claimed that she has a history of insulting and walking out on them when they visit her office.
David Kinyua, the Mutira Ward MCA who successfully moved the impeachment motion, testified that Governor Waiguru had coerced the County Public Service Board to recruit her aide, Pauline Kamau, as the director of administration despite lacking the minimum qualification.
He also alleged that Governor Waiguru had used her influence to have Ms. Kamau and Wayne Gichira, her ICT advisor, sit on the county tender committee, where they peddled influence for the purpose of taking care of Governor Waiguru's interests.
Mr. Kinyua claimed that the presence of the two on the tender committee was meant to secure Governor Waiguru's interests in all major tenders in the county, which he described as illegal.
He also accused Governor Waiguru of irregularly purchasing a vehicle with a loan from a local bank that was never approved by the assembly.
Furthermore, Mr. Kinyua alleged that Governor Waiguru had received Sh10.6 million as an imprest for a foreign trip to the US and Italy, which she claimed she never made.
He also accused her of receiving Sh2.6 million in imprest on June 30, 2019, another Sh943,000 on January 8, 2020, and another Sh1.1 million on February 25 for a trip she never made.
