By Nyang’au Araka
When Nyamira Governor Amos Kimwomi Nyaribo was impeached on Tuesday, the County Assembly announced it with the finality of a gavel strike.
Twenty-three MCAs voted to remove him over allegations of gross constitutional violations.
This was the third and ‘successful’ attempt to oust the County’s second Governor, who rose to office following the demise of his boss John Nyagarama before he went on to be elected in 2022.
It however appears that behind that decision lies a far more complicated, and unsettling story about due process, representation, and the integrity of a constitutional procedure meant to protect, not fracture public trust.
Under the Constitution of Kenya 2010, an impeachment motion must garner the support of at least two-thirds of all MCAs.
Nyamira County has 35 assembly seats; 20 for Ward representatives and the rest for nominated members.
But with three ward seats vacant; Nyamaiya, Ekerenyo, and Nyansiongo, technically only 32 positions currently have officeholders.
Even then, only 19 MCAs were physically present when the vote was taken, and of the 23 who voted in support of the motion, 4 reportedly did through proxies.
A number of grassroots leaders had filed sworn affidavits declaring they would not participate in the process at all.
As stated, others are alleged to have had their votes cast through proxies, an act prohibited by law, especially in grave constitutional matters like impeachment.
If true, this raises a serious constitutional question: did the Assembly meet the threshold required, not just numerically but procedurally?
More troubling is the matter of representation.
Nyamira has 20 wards. With three wards currently unrepresented due to vacancies, 15% of the county’s direct voice was shut out of a process that determines the future of county leadership.
Impeachment is not a routine vote; it is the political equivalent of open-heart surgery.
For residents of Nyamaiya, Ekerenyo, and Nyansiongo, the scalpel fell while they were still on the waiting bench.
For those MCAs who abstained, their affidavits made it clear: they wanted no role in what they viewed as a flawed or politically driven process.
“I have made a deliberate, firm, and conscientious decision not to participate in any part of the process,” several wrote in documents sworn before commissioners for oaths.
They further affirmed that they had not authorized anyone to act or vote on their behalf.
These deep fissures are hardly surprising.
Nyamira politics has long been marked by turbulence; from the impeachment of former Speaker Enock Okero to the rise of Speaker Thaddious Nyabaro, who presided over Nyaribo’s ouster.
Add to that the looming by-elections and constant power shifts, and the county’s political ground feels permanently in motion.
The impeachment now heads to the Senate, whose role is to act as the sober second chamber; scrutinizing whether the Assembly’s decision adhered to both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution.
The Senate has, in past cases; from Ferdinand Waititu to Mike Sonko to Kawira Mwangaza, proven willing to dig beneath the surface and even overturn impeachments that fall short of legal thresholds.
This is where Governor Nyaribo’s fate truly lies.
Should he feel that the process was marred by illegality; proxy voting, constitutional threshold violations, or disenfranchisement of wards he retains options.
He can mount a legal challenge, either alongside or after the Senate process, arguing that the impeachment was fundamentally flawed.
Courts have previously nullified political processes where representation or procedure was compromised.
The people of Nyamira deserve clarity, and an impeachment should unite citizens in the belief that justice has been done, not leave them wondering whether backroom maneuvers shaped their county’s destiny.
As the Senate prepares to weigh the evidence, one question lingers in the minds of many residents: Was this the lawful end of a governor’s term or simply the latest chapter in Nyamira’s long saga of political brinkmanship?
Only time will tell!
-The author is a member of the Kisii Press Club. The views expressed here are his own and don’t represent the position of the Club