Former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has responded sharply after former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi claimed he helped raise KSh100 million to influence the Senate vote that upheld her impeachment.
In a Facebook post, Mwangaza reacted sarcastically to the revelations, questioning the priorities of Meru’s political leadership.
“The only project Meru leaders have successfully completed in the past two years was raising over Sh100 million to allegedly bribe senators in support of the impeachment of the independently elected Woman Governor of Meru County. Where is the justice?” she wrote.
Her remarks followed Linturi’s explosive claims during an interview on Weru TV, where he alleged that he personally mobilised funds from friends and Members of Parliament to secure her removal.
“I called friends, my friends, MPs, all of them, and raised money: KSh100 million,” Linturi said.
He went further, alleging that lawmakers routinely receive money to influence critical votes. Referring to previous remarks by President William Ruto, Linturi claimed MPs are often compromised.
“You heard Ruto say these MPs ni wakora. They are always paid money. They took money to impeach Gachagua. So even we gave out the money to be taken to the Senate,” he stated.
Linturi described Parliament as “compromised” and operating for the “highest bidder,” adding that even legitimate cases require financial inducements to succeed. He suggested that contributors believed raising money was necessary to prevent the matter from dragging on.
Mwangaza, who was impeached after a prolonged standoff with the Meru County Assembly, did not directly rebut the specific details of Linturi’s admission.
Instead, she framed the issue as a broader question of justice and democratic legitimacy, emphasising that she was independently elected by Meru voters.
The Senate upheld her impeachment after considering charges forwarded by the county assembly, bringing months of political wrangles to an end.
Linturi’s claims have since reignited debate over the integrity of impeachment proceedings and the credibility of legislative oversight institutions. As of publication, neither the Senate nor investigative agencies had publicly responded to the bribery allegations.
The controversy now places renewed national attention on Meru’s political landscape and the standards governing Kenya’s legislative processes.