Governor Mwangaza confident she will defeat impeachment bid

Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has said she is not worried about the push by ward reps to impeach her and that the truth will soon set her free.

Speaking during a public participation forum in Nkubu on Wednesday, Ms Mwangaza expressed confidence that she would survive the impeachment efforts and go on to lead Meru for 10 years.

The governor was later joined by Kiagu MCA Simon Kiambi for a meeting in the ward, where she promised several goodies for his support.

Mr Kiambi is the only MCA who opposed the impeachment plans.

“I am humbled by Kiambi, who among many others, stood for what is honest, true and right … Because of the humility and respect he has accorded me, I have directed him and his development committee to steer all programmes in the wards,” she said.

She added: “Because of the harmonious working relationship with the MCA, the people of Kiagu will benefit through drilling of boreholes, upgrading and murraming of roads, floodlights and motorbikes to ensure services get to the common mwananchi.”

Ms Mwangaza said the impeachment efforts ‘expose the lies being peddled for political expediency’.

She is expected to appear before assembly leaders on Wednesday next week.

“Many people have been calling me and some are expecting me to be bedridden due to stress. Lawyers will deal with other lawyers and the truth shall be known,” she said. 

“I will continue with my grassroots programmes unperturbed. My government is stronger than ever before.”

The governor expressed shock at the timing of the impeachment motion, arguing that it was too early to judge her performance.

Impeachment motion

“I received my first salary the other day and I am barely three months in office. Can’t they wait even for six months to find a worthy excuse?” Ms Mwangaza posed.

She said the allegations against her in the impeachment motion would not stand her rebuttal.

“I have been in government for three months and no single coin has been lost. On Wednesday, we will know if there is anyone employed irregularly,” she said. 

“If they did not file the motion, the truth wouldn’t have been known. The truth shall be known to the whole country. The door that God has opened, no person can shut it.”

She said she defeated political bigwigs in the August election because God was on her side and that no amount of political fights will bring her down.

Meanwhile, Ms Mwangaza appealed to MCAs to join hands with her to develop the county.

She argued that some of her detractors were worried about her style of engaging with residents as it enhanced accountability and transparency.

“All leaders should stop playing politics because the campaigns ended. Let us concentrate on development because time wasted shall never be recovered,” she said. 

“The politics they are engaging in are heading nowhere. We may soil each other’s names and when the truth is known, a lot of time will have been lost.”

But she warned MCAs who are keen on working with her that she will never bend the law.

“As a governor, I have several privileges, including big cars, security detail, red carpets and senior people at my call. Why should I stay in the office when I can use these resources to reach every village? They cannot convince me to stay in the office all day,” she said, defending her frequent grassroots forums.