Impeachment
Kericho Members County Assembly today tabled a motion of impeachment against the Kericho Governor Dr. Eric Kipkoech Mutai. The MCAs presented four counts of accusations against Governor Mutai including gross violation of the Constitution, gross violation of the national and county laws, abuse of office, and gross misconduct.
The motion was tabled by Sigowet Ward MCA Kiprotich Rogony who pointed out that the Governor was involved in illegal appointment, unlawful dismissal, and transfers of staff adding that he was in gross violation of the Integrity and Leadership Act.
“The Governor has been operating with impunity as though he is above the law. On the second day of being sworn into office, the Governor led a mob to invade a private land owned by one Mr. Josiah Kiplangat Kogo, within Kericho town and tore down the fence,” said Rogony while presenting his motion before the Kericho County Speaker Dr. Patrick Mutai.
Speaking after the motion was presented before the Assembly, the Speaker said the Governor Dr. Mutai would appear before the house on October 2nd, 2024 to give his response and answer to the allegations levelled against him.
The Majority Leader MCA Phillip Rono led a group of MCAs and issued a presser where they alleged that the Couty government of Kericho only collected a paltry Sh399 million against the projected target of Sh1.2 billion. Rono said that according to the outcome of an Ad-Hoc committee formed by the County Assembly to look into the revenue collection in the county found that there was a massive leakage of revenue that was not accounted for.
He said that Kericho was the only County in the country that does not have a digital revenue collection system having reverted to manual collection after the existing one expired in November last year. For instance, the Ad-hoc Committee found that land that belonging to the county in Kipkelion East which was being leased to the public for farming purposes only raised Sh67,000 against the projected Sh2.8 million.
Yesterday the Kipsigis Council of Elders and Talai Elders came to the defence of the embattled Governor saying that they should be consulted first before any move to impeach him adding the voice of the elders should be considered in weighty decisions and matters that affect the county.
Meanwhile, contractors in Kericho also threw their weight behind the Governor saying the intended impeachment was malicious and and that the MCAs had ulterior motives. The contractors accused the County Legislators of playing the role of implementors of county functions instead of concentrating on their oversight roles.
37 MCAs have ganged up against the County boss whereas only 10 MCAs were behind the Governor.