The Kericho County Assembly has formally tabled an impeachment motion against Governor Dr. Erick Mutai, citing gross violations of the Constitution, abuse of office, and systemic financial misconduct.
The motion introduced by Sigowet Ward MCA Kiprotich Rokony follows a damning report by an Ad Hoc Committee, which unearthed fraudulent expenditure amounting to over Sh85.7 million during the 2024/2025 financial year.
The report which was tabled before the county assembly on Tuesday now forms the core basis of the governor’s proposed ouster.
According to the report, 41 companies were irregularly paid Sh80,531,807.30 through questionable procurement processes, while an additional Sh5,172,715.60 was disbursed to five other firms, including IBM Pro Construction Ltd and Hildama Construction, whose payment vouchers were reportedly concealed from the investigating committee, with IBM Pro Construction alone receiving Sh3,558,960 and Hildama Construction Sh422,670.
The committee chaired by MCA for Soliat ward, Albert Kipkoech, uncovered widespread procurement fraud across six county departments, revealing that county officers colluded with suppliers to inflate prices by up to 300 per cent above prevailing market rates, with the Department of Agriculture paying Sh14,980,640 for animal feed materials that were either grossly overpriced or never delivered, while the Department of Public Works paid Mengro Products Ltd Sh2,534,264.83 in retention fees for road projects dating back to 2018, despite the contracts having already been fully settled in previous years.
The report further accuses county procurement officers of flouting procurement laws by processing 92 per cent of the irregular payments through the Request for Quotation (RQ) method in a deliberate attempt to avoid competitive bidding, with one highlighted case involving the splitting of a Sh8.7 million medical equipment purchase into two separate requests valued at Sh1,999,800 awarded to Afroscape Limited and Sh2,064,000 awarded to Slick Solutions Limited in order to circumvent the open tendering process
The report also revealed that 78 per cent of all payments were allegedly made without key supporting documents such as delivery notes, inspection reports, or valid ETIMS invoices, in violation of Kenya Revenue Authority regulations.
Another allegation involves the Sh2.9 million Kipkelion housing project, where the report indicates that contractors were paid for incomplete work and the committee found evidence of falsified documentation, including the backdating of an award letter by nine days
This impeachment motion comes barely ten months after the initial attempt in October last year, when Governor Mutai was impeached by 31 out of 47 Members of the Kericho County Assembly following a motion tabled by the same Member of County Assembly Kiprotich Rogony while members who supported the governor boycotted the session in protest
In the first impeachment bid, the governor faced charges of gross violation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and other relevant laws, including abuse of office contravention of the Leadership and Integrity Act, violation of the Public Finance Management Act 2012, misappropriation of public funds, illegal drawing of county revenue and engaging in indecent acts
Governor Mutai, however survived the impeachment after 34 senators voted against his removal from office, while ten voted in support of the ouster and this decision came after the Senate established that the minimum threshold of thirty-two Members of the County Assembly was not met during the vote to impeach him at the County Assembly
The governor is expected to be summoned before the county assembly on Wednesday next week to respond to the allegations leveled against him, after which a decision on the impeachment motion will be made following debate and voting by the Members of the County Assembly
By Hillary Kemei and Gilbert Mutai
