The High Court in Nairobi has issued conservatory orders suspending the impeachment process against the Meru County Governor, Kawira Mwangaza.
The court has stopped the Senate Speaker, Amason Kingi, from publishing a notification or declaration of a vacancy in the Office of the Governor of Meru County.
The orders issued by Justice Bahati Mwamuye mean that Mwangaza will remain in office until her application, filed on Wednesday, is heard and determined.
The judge ruled that the implementation of the Senate’s resolution to remove Mwangaza from office must be stayed pending the hearing and determination of the application.
According to the governor’s lawyer, Elias Mutuma, the three charges against Mwangaza were already before different courts in the country.
Mutuma argued that the Senate should not have entertained the issues raised in the impeachment motion without clearance from the judges presiding over the related court cases.
Mwangaza also took issue with the Senate’s failure to gazette Tuesday as the day that its members would take a vote, claiming that at least 14 senators were deliberately denied a chance to participate in the proceedings.
The lawyer accused the senators of flip-flopping in their decisions, arguing that they had previously dismissed the same charges in the first and second ouster motions.
The case will be mentioned on September 17, 2024, as the court continues to deliberate on the matter.