The Senate on Wednesday evening put an end to the impeachment process against Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo after upholding a preliminary objection filed by his legal team. A total of 38 Senators supported the motion to stop the proceedings, with only four opposing, effectively preventing the matter from advancing to a full hearing.
Earlier in the day, Governor Nyaribo’s defence team presented two key objections challenging the legality and validity of the impeachment motion dated November 11, 2025. They argued that the County Assembly’s resolution failed to meet the constitutional and statutory thresholds required for removing a governor from office, as outlined under Article 181 of the Constitution and Section 33 of the County Governments Act.
The second objection targeted the use of proxy voting during the impeachment proceedings. Lead counsel Elias Mutuma argued that proxy voting was unlawful, lacked any legal basis, and could not be used to explain inconsistencies in the vote tally. The defence insisted that only 19 Members of the County Assembly were physically present during the vote, yet the final result recorded 23 votes in favour of the governor’s ouster an outcome they characterised as fundamentally irregular and “numerically impossible.”
The defence team further dismissed the Assembly’s claim that its membership had reduced from 35 to 32 due to three vacancies, calling the justification illogical and unsupported by law.
On its part, the County Assembly’s legal team defended the use of proxy voting, stating that proxy letters existed to validate the votes cast. They maintained that although the Standing Orders do not explicitly provide for proxy voting, the Speaker exercised his discretion under Standing Order No. 1 to allow it.
Before voting, Senators made varied submissions, emphasising the importance of safeguarding the rule of law and delivering justice to both the Governor and the residents of Nyamira County.
Ultimately, the Senate upheld the objections, bringing the impeachment process to an abrupt close.
