Kericho Governor Eric Mutai before the Senate during his first impeachment attempt by the Assembly. Photo PBU 
By Andrew Mbuva
All is set for the Senate to begin impeachment hearings against Kericho Governor Eric Mutai, with plenary sessions scheduled from Wednesday, August 27 to Friday, August 29, 2025.
The full House will sit as a trial court in a process expected to be tense and closely monitored, as it will decide the governor’s political fate.
Proceedings will open with the formal reading of charges, after which Governor Mutai will be required to enter a plea. The County Assembly, which initiated the impeachment, will present its case first by tabling documents and calling witnesses.
The Governor’s defence team will then counter the accusations and cross-examine witnesses before the Senate debates and votes on the Motion. A majority of county delegations must back the charges for Mutai’s removal to succeed.
Mutai faces three main charges: gross violation of the Constitution and laws, abuse of office, and gross misconduct. This is the second impeachment attempt against him in under a year.
According to particulars tabled in the Senate, the County Assembly alleges that Mutai presided over massive financial irregularities, including fictitious payments estimated at Ksh.85.7 million.
These involved undelivered goods such as farm inputs, inflated procurement—like soda bottles reportedly bought at Ksh.500 each—and unsupported payments to private firms. Contractors were also allegedly paid twice from retention accounts for long-completed projects.
The Governor’s handling of development funds has also come under sharp scrutiny. The Assembly claims Ksh.351 million under the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project was misappropriated, with only a fraction reaching farmers.
Similarly, funds under the FLOCCA programme were allegedly skewed to favour Mutai’s home ward, while over Sh9 million raised for victims of the Londiani road tragedy reportedly went missing.
On abuse of office, Mutai is accused of nepotism, irregular appointments, and misleading job adverts despite a strained county budget. He also faces misconduct claims over leading a mob to invade private land in Kericho town, later turned into a dumpsite in defiance of a court order.
Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot’s bid to form a select committee collapsed, leaving the full House to handle the high-stakes trial.
