Kericho Governor Erick Mutai is set to face a high-stakes impeachment trial before the full Senate, after an attempt to have the case handled by a special committee collapsed on Tuesday.
Senators voted to abandon the 11-member committee route after Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot’s motion to form one failed to secure a seconder. Minority Leader Stewart Madzayo, who would have provided the required support, declined, leaving Speaker Amason Kingi with no choice but to direct that the matter be heard by plenary.
“There is no process or route that is flawed. It is members to determine the route they want,” said Cheruiyot while moving the motion. With the House declining the committee option, Speaker Kingi scheduled the plenary hearings for August 27, 28, and 29, 2025.
Kingi further directed the Clerk of the Senate to formally invite the parties by August 21, require their responses by August 25, and circulate all submissions to senators by August 26. The full plenary format is expected to generate heightened political drama as all 67 senators will have an opportunity to participate in the proceedings.
This is the second time Governor Mutai has been subjected to an impeachment process. In October 2024, he survived a similar attempt after the Kericho County Assembly failed to garner the two-thirds majority needed to sustain the charges.
The latest motion, spearheaded by Sigowet Ward MCA Kiprotich Rogony, sailed through the County Assembly on August 15, 2025, with 33 out of 47 members voting in favour. The charges against Mutai have not been publicly detailed in the Senate proceedings but are understood to revolve around allegations of abuse of office and mismanagement of county resources.
The upcoming trial is expected to test Governor Mutai’s political survival once again, with his opponents seeking to end his tenure less than three years into office. For the governor, the plenary hearing offers both a challenge and an opportunity a challenge because of the scale of scrutiny, but also a chance to mount a robust defense before the entire Senate.
The outcome will determine whether Mutai retains his seat or becomes the latest county chief to be ousted by the Senate.
