Kenza Ondieki, a resident of Malindi. Photo by Ben Okweingoti. 
By Ben Okweingoti.
Concerned residents in Malindi, Kilifi County, have called for the impeachment of Governor Gideon Mung’aro, accusing his administration of financial mismanagement and failure to account for public funds.
The residents cited findings contained in reports by the Auditor-General, which they said had raised questions over the utilisation of public resources by both the Kilifi County and national governments.
Kenza Ondiek, a Malindi resident, accused Members of the Kilifi County Assembly (MCAs) of shielding Governor Mung’aro despite what she described as numerous audit queries concerning the county administration.
Ondiek joined former Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa in calling on the MCAs to initiate impeachment proceedings against Mung’aro, arguing that the governor should be held accountable for the alleged mismanagement of county resources.
The criticism comes shortly after a national opinion poll ranked Mung’aro among the five best-performing governors in the country.
Ondiek, however, dismissed the ranking, accusing President William Ruto's administration of abandoning leaders who supported his rise to power while allegedly favouring governors whom he described as corrupt.
“President William Ruto is a corrupt leader and he is dumping those who helped him get to power and replacing them with governors who are corrupt, our own Mung’aro being one of them,” Ondiek said.
He also criticised the decision by UDA to remove Jumwa from the party, arguing that the move contradicted the democratic principles that President Ruto championed during the 2022 election campaign.
“They have chased her away, but I want to tell Jumwa to stay strong, focused and determined because we will go around the county to ensure that she becomes our governor in 2027,” he said.
Ondiek further accused Kilifi MCAs of failing to exercise their oversight mandate, describing them as ineffective for allegedly allowing the county government to operate without adequate scrutiny.
Jumwa has similarly criticised the Kilifi County Assembly, accusing MCAs of failing to hold the governor to account.
Speaking during a meeting with a section of Kaya elders at her Kakuyuni home, Jumwa alleged that MCAs had been reduced to “flower girls” of the governor instead of independently exercising their constitutional oversight role.
“If we could be having serious MCAs, then Mung’aro would have been impeached a long time ago and we could have elected a new governor,” Jumwa said.
She accused the current crop of MCAs of pursuing personal interests at the expense of effective governance and accountability in the county.
“The current crop of MCAs are selfish and serving selfish interests by watching as the county is run down,” she said.
The accusations come amid growing political activity in Kilifi ahead of the 2027 General Election, with Jumwa positioning herself for the county's top seat.
However, the allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement against Governor Mung’aro remain claims by his political critics and residents, and would require verification against the specific Auditor-General findings and responses from the governor and the Kilifi County Government.
