‘Votes Were Altered’: Mutai Accuses Speaker in Kericho Impeachment

Embattled Kericho Governor Erick Mutai has denied all charges in his impeachment motion, calling the process a political plot designed to push him out of office.

Speaking before the Senate on Wednesday, August 27, Mutai accused the Speaker of the Kericho County Assembly of engineering his removal so he could take over as governor.

According to Mutai, the Speaker manipulated vote numbers during the impeachment session to secure the two-thirds majority needed to kick him out.

“What is happening in Kericho is a well-orchestrated political conspiracy to remove the governor. The Speaker wants to be governor himself,” Mutai told senators.

He went further to claim that the Speaker’s plan was to also remove the deputy governor so that he could sit in both positions and finish projects he failed to deliver during his time as finance and roads CEC.

The impeachment motion, tabled by Sigowet Ward MCA Kiprotich Rogony, accused Mutai of misusing public and donor funds and abusing his office. An Ad Hoc Committee report alleged that he approved fictitious payments worth Ksh. 85 million to contractors for works that were never done.

But Mutai questioned the timing of the report. He said it was only given to him after the impeachment motion had already been tabled.

“The report on fictitious payments was handed to me after my impeachment was already before the Assembly,” he argued. “If given a chance, I would have punished the state officers involved, but I was denied that opportunity.”

Despite the accusations, Mutai insisted that the charges were politically driven and asked senators to look at the facts carefully.

Mutai was impeached after 33 out of 47 MCAs voted against him. This is the second time he has faced ouster attempts—he survived a similar one in October 2024 when the Senate spared him.

Featured image via Screengrab