Kericho wrangles deepen as MCAs move to impeach six CECs

There is no end in sight in the protracted standoff between the Kericho County Assembly and the Executive after MCAs tabled fresh notices of motion to impeach six County Executive Committee (CEC) members.

In what is being seen as a continuation of the bitter power struggle, the Assembly during the Wednesday session presided over by Speaker Patrick Mutai, received separate motions filed by different MCAs seeking the ouster of CECs in charge of key departments.

Those targeted include the CEC for Lands, Housing and Physical Planning, Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperative Development, Finance and Economic Planning, Public Works, Roads and Transport, Health Services as well as the executive for Water, Energy, Environment, Forestry and Natural Resources.

The motions, moved by  Chaik Ward MCA Mathew Korir, Haron Rotich (Cheptororiet/Seretut),  Moses Rotich (Tendeno/ Soget) and  Vincent Korir (Londiani), accuse the six executives of alleged incompetence, mismanagement, and failure to deliver on their mandates.

The move is expected to escalate the already strained relationship between the Assembly and Governor Erick Mutai’s administration, coming barely three weeks after the Senate voted to save the governor from impeachment by the MCAs

Anthony Koskei, a governance expert said the latest action underscores the deepening political rift in Kericho County, with fears that the constant wrangles could paralyze service delivery to residents.

If approved, the impeachment motions will be forwarded to the executive for the CECs to appear before the assembly for impeachment proceedings before the matter is subjected to a vote.

Last week, the Kericho County Assembly formally declined governor Mutai  invitation to a joint consultative meeting, saying it must first heal its own divisions before engaging with the county boss.

Governor Mutai, in a letter dated September 9, 2025, had called the Speaker and MCAs to a meeting at the International Training Centre (ICT), Browns Plantation. He pitched the gathering as a chance to “build consensus and bring together the leadership of Kericho” to discuss post-impeachment unity, development projects, and the supplementary budget.

But the Assembly, in a sharp response dated September 10 and signed by Speaker Patrick Mutai, said members had resolved that reconciliation among themselves must take precedence.

The decision followed a meeting convened by Majority Leader Phillip Rono, where divisions within the House came to the surface.

“The Assembly will first undertake this internal reconciliation with a view to fostering unity and consensus among the members,” the Speaker’s letter read, in what appeared to be a clear message that the governor’s olive branch was not enough to paper over the cracks.

The Assembly is split down the middle after the impeachment saga.

Thirty-three MCAs are pressing to hold Governor Mutai accountable over Sh85 million allegedly irregularly paid to 45 companies, while only 18 remain firmly in his corner.

The numbers underscore the fragile political ground on which the governor stands, despite surviving in the Senate.