Kericho Governor Erick Mutai is facing a moment of reckoning as his impeachment trial before the Senate has exposed damaging claims about how his administration has been run.
Senators were on August 27 presented with testimonies that painted a worrying picture of extortion, misuse of county funds, and the existence of projects that never materialized.
The allegations have raised deep concerns about whether he can continue holding office as the case builds momentum.
The impeachment motion was brought forward by the Kericho County Assembly, which accuses the governor of forcing senior county officials to give him money under threats of being sacked.
According to the testimonies, some of these officials were compelled to hand over as much as Ksh1.5 million from their own savings just to keep their jobs.
Such claims, if proven, reveal a troubling abuse of power and a workplace environment marked by fear and intimidation rather than service delivery.
Among the key witnesses was former County Executive Committee member Edna Tanui, whose testimony has drawn significant attention.
She told senators that she was removed from her position after resisting repeated financial demands from the governor. Edna explained that the governor either called her directly or used his aides to push the requests.
By standing her ground, she not only lost her job but also exposed what she described as a culture where intimidation was used to extract money from officials.
Her account has added weight to the case, showing the human cost of the alleged misconduct within the county administration.Beyond the extortion claims, the County Assembly also linked Governor Mutai to what they called ghost projects.
These were projects that supposedly consumed millions of shillings from the county budget but delivered nothing visible to residents. The mention of such phantom developments has fueled public anger, as locals question how their money could disappear into initiatives that only existed on paper.
For a county struggling with real development needs, the suggestion that funds may have been wasted on non-existent projects is especially damaging.
The Senate proceedings will continue, and they will ultimately decide whether Governor Mutai should be removed from office or survive the impeachment bid.
The revelations already made have increased public and political pressure, placing both the governor and the Senate under scrutiny.
Residents of Kericho and Kenyans at large are now looking to the process for answers and accountability. The outcome of the trial will be a defining moment for Governor Mutai’s political future and will also test how strongly institutions can uphold transparency and justice in matters of governance.
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