Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has opened up about her relationship with Meru leaders after she was saved from impeachment in 2023.
Mwangaza said she made amends with the leaders in the county after the House advised her to do so.
While speaking at the Senate on Tuesday, Mwangaza said that she traversed Meru County to apologise to those she might have wronged.
The governor assured that, at that time, she reconciled with the leaders and had no issues.
“I travelled across Meru, apologising to anyone I may have wronged. At one point, I said sorry 70 times, 69 to each MCA, and once to the speaker. I said sorry 70 times,” she said.
Mwangaza added that she asked for forgiveness so that the county could make progress.
“I started with Njuri Ncheke and amended everything that was not going on well. I sat with the MPs and every leader in Meru. There is only one leader whom I did not talk to. The rest we have sat, talked, and have no issue at all.”
Mwangaza is set to know her fate today as the Senate concludes the impeachment hearing.
The trial started Monday, where lawyers representing her and the County Assembly faced off.
Mwangaza was accorded an opportunity to present her case before the House.
On the day of the debate of the ouster motion, 49 out of 69 MCAs present in the House voted to support Mwangaza’s ouster.
Mwangaza denied all the charges.
Her legal team, led by Elisha Ongoya, termed the charges “a manifesto of lies” and asked the Senate to dismiss the impeachment motion in toto.
In November 2020, during her impeachment motion, Mwangaza said sorry seventy times in court to represent the 69 MCAs and county assembly speaker who sought to impeach her.
Hours after a Meru court barred the impeachment motion against her, Kawira counted from one to 70 as his supporters responded by saying the word ‘sorry.’
“66…sorry, 69…sorry….70…sorry,” they sang along.
This is the third time Mwangaza is facing an impeachment hearing before the Senate.
The first impeachment hearing was heard and determined by a committee but the second and third went the plenary way.
The use of manual payroll to pay personnel emoluments and employing a bloated workforce are among the charges she faces under count three on abuse of office.
Under the first count of gross violation of the constitution and other laws, Mwangaza is accused of, among other things, failing to appoint the chairpersons of the Meru County Revenue Board, Meru Microfinance Corporation, Meru Youth Service Board and Meru County Investment and Development Corporation Board.
On the second count of gross misconduct, Mwangaza is accused of “deliberately and knowingly misleading the public by giving false information that Sh86 million had been raised after the murder of Daniel Muthiani, alias Sniper, while the correct position is that only Sh286,516 was raised”.
