Kericho Governor Eric Mutai has retained his seat after the Senate threw out an impeachment motion against him.
The motion was brought by the Kericho County Assembly, which accused him of abuse of office, gross misconduct, and violation of the Constitution. Out of the 42 senators who voted, 25 acquitted him, 16 supported his removal, and one abstained.
This annulled the decision of the county assembly and secured Mutai’s position as governor.
The impeachment was passed in the assembly with 33 members reportedly voting to remove him. However, when the matter reached the Senate, questions arose over whether the constitutional threshold had been met.
Senators examined evidence presented on the electronic voting system used by MCAs. Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi pointed out that some IP addresses showed members casting votes from places outside the assembly, including Ahero in Kisumu and Kapsabet in Nandi. He argued that this undermined the credibility of the process.
Taita Taveta Senator Danston Mungatana also questioned the numbers, saying that the 32-member minimum threshold was not met. Mutai’s lawyers told the Senate that only 29 MCAs legally voted in support of the impeachment, while four of the 33 votes recorded were actually in his favour. The county assembly, on the other hand, insisted that 33 supported his removal.
Despite Speaker Amason Kingi ruling that the constitutional threshold had been satisfied, senators concluded otherwise when they cast their final vote.
The decision cleared Mutai of the charges and ended the process. The trial, which lasted three days, allowed both sides to present their arguments, but senators remained unconvinced by the evidence provided by the county assembly.
Mutai had been impeached earlier on August 15 in a chaotic session of the Kericho County Assembly. The motion, introduced by Sigowet MCA Kiprotich Rogony, was backed by 33 members, but the session ended in chaos with some MCAs injured.
This marked the second time in less than a year that the county assembly attempted to remove him from office, but once again the Senate ruled in his favour, keeping him in power.
