Senate spares Kericho Governor Erick Mutai after tense impeachment trial

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Kericho Governor Erick Mutai has survived impeachment after the Senate voted to save him from removal in a tense sitting that drew sharp scrutiny of how his ouster was handled by the County Assembly.

The Senate on Friday rejected the motion to remove him from office, with 25 senators voting that the impeachment charges had not been proved.

16 senators supported the move to oust him, while one(1) abstained.

The verdict means Dr Mutai will continue serving as governor, ending days of dramatic hearings that exposed irregularities in the process and strained relations between the county’s leadership.

Dr Mutai had been accused of gross violation of the Constitution, abuse of office, and gross misconduct.

When the Senate trial opened earlier in the week, he entered a plea of not guilty and insisted the County Assembly had violated a High Court order barring the impeachment vote.

His lawyers argued that the motion was unconstitutional and riddled with procedural flaws, including reliance on a disputed electronic voting system.

Much of the testimony before the Senate centred on this digital platform.

Several Members of the County Assembly told senators that their votes had been recorded against the governor even though they had not participated.

Kapkatet Ward MCA Mr Amos Birir said he could not have voted because he does not know how to operate a smartphone.

Another, Mr Hillary Kibet, declared he had abstained but found his name listed among those who supported Dr Mutai’s impeachment.

The reliability of the County Assembly’s system came under further strain when nominated MCA Ms Gabriella Chepngeno admitted under cross-examination that she was a “dishonest witness,” drawing laughter from senators in what became a rare light moment in otherwise tense proceedings.

Senators pressed the MCAs on why they had allowed their votes to be entered without verification, with some admitting they had not received proper training on the platform.

The governor’s defence team told the Senate that the irregularities were too serious to ignore and that the process was fatally defective.

They also questioned the credibility of witnesses who at times contradicted themselves under questioning.  

Senators demanded clarity, with Kericho leaders accused of dragging the county into unnecessary political turmoil at the expense of service delivery.

At one point, Senator Samson Cherargei warned an MCA who admitted to recording private conversations that he risked arrest under Kenya’s Data Protection Act.

This exchange highlighted the legal tensions that hung over the proceedings, with the Senate frequently reminded of its delicate role as both a political and quasi-judicial forum.

When the vote finally came, the numbers fell short of the two-thirds majority required to remove a governor from office.

Dr Mutai, who followed proceedings closely, left the chamber with relief but also with the challenge of reconciling a county deeply divided by the impeachment fight.

His survival marks the second time he has withstood an attempt to unseat him.

For allies, the Senate verdict was proof that the governor had been unfairly targeted and that due process had vindicated him.

For opponents, the outcome showed how entrenched interests can frustrate accountability.

The impeachment proceedings, watched keenly across the country, have added Kericho to the growing list of counties where governors face mounting political pressure and scrutiny over their performance.

For the Senate, the trial tested its ability to balance legal standards with political realities, as each vote carried implications for county governance far beyond Kericho.

Dr Mutai now returns to office with the weight of expectations that he will focus on unity and service delivery.

Yet the bruising battle has left open questions about the credibility of electronic voting in assemblies, the limits of judicial protection against political manoeuvres, and the future stability of county leadership in Kenya’s devolved system.