Kericho Governor Eric Mutai faces a decisive moment today as the Senate prepares to cast its final vote on his impeachment. The outcome will determine whether he survives yet another attempt to oust him or becomes the latest county boss to lose office over corruption claims.
At the heart of the proceedings is the question of whether the County Assembly followed due process in its push to remove him. Senators will also weigh the substance of the graft allegations lodged against Mutai.
The second day of hearings took a dramatic turn as attention shifted to the credibility of the voting system used by Members of the County Assembly (MCAs). Both senators and the governor’s defence raised alarm over the online platform, suggesting the integrity of the impeachment process may have been compromised.
Concerns centred on the use of payroll and ID numbers as login passwords, a practice critics say left the system vulnerable. Defence lawyers presented evidence showing irregularities, including claims that three MCAs allegedly voted more than once and that a single IP address was linked to nine votes.
According to documents tabled in the Senate by Mutai’s lead counsel, Katwa Kigen, the entire exercise was conducted via an online link, making it reliant on mobile phones with internet access. The revelations sparked questions about whether the results could be considered credible.
With the vote looming, the Senate now carries the weight of deciding not only the governor’s political future but also the credibility of digital voting systems used in impeachment proceedings.
