‘We’re forced to sleep in separate houses’ – Governor Mwangaza’s husband decries harassment from Meru MCAs
Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza on Friday, October 28, said she is ready to defend herself over any impeachment motion filed against her.
Kawira, who addressed the media at Milimani Law Courts with her husband Murega Baichu and her lawyer Danstan Omari, insisted that she had done nothing wrong.
“The impeachment motion they are saying they will sponsor is hot air. Let them take the impeachment motion to the County Assembly and to the Senate after that we go to the High Court… I am ready to defend myself because I know I have done nothing wrong,” Mwangaza stated.
The embattled Meru county boss said she will not be intimidated to be a 'thief' and bend the law for the MCAs as the Meru residents already decided on August 9 on who to lead them.
“We have a lot of issues in Meru. The residents have started eating dead camels, kids are eating roots, people are dying of hunger… Why are they not focusing on that?” she posed.
Mwangaza defends husband
The governor noted that the allegations by MCAs that she employed her husband were false saying her husband has never received a single coin from the government.
“My husband will never be paid by the government, he is doing voluntary work, to help our youths,” she said.
On the issue of employing her sister as her bodyguard, she said her sister is employed by the National police service and she only requested for her deployment to be her bodyguard.
“Is your bodyguard supposed to go through the vetting really? I am entitled to more than three of them, what is wrong with getting one of them to be my sister?… I am not her employer , the NPS is,” she said.
She denied the accusations of her employing some people to the County Government saying those serving the county are being deployed to other areas and there is no one who has been sacked.
“Cartels are fighting back, but I will stand firm and make sure that no single coin of Meru will be lost,” she said.
On his part, Mwangaza's husband Murega Baichu claimed he had suffered gender-based violence with the continued harassment by the MCAs.
He claimed that he had been banned from getting a lift from his wife’s official car when she goes to attend various functions forcing him to hire the services of a boda boda.
“I want EACC to help me because after EACC wrote that letter I am forced to board a bodaboda to move around because I am not allowed to enter the governor’s car,” he said.
The Meru First Gentleman claimed some MCAs are also of the view that he should not step foot in the governor’s office.
He also claims he is now forced to sleep in a separate house away from the governor since some MCAs believe he should not sleep at the official residence of the governor.
“The Governor was given an official residence, and now I am told I am not supposed to sleep there because I am not a state officer… I want EACC to help me so that I can know my boundaries,” he said.
Mwangaza early this month appointed Baichu as the county's Youth Patron and Hustlers' Ambassador with no pay.
Speaking during the unveiling of her cabinet in October, Mwangaza stated that her husband will be more of a volunteer in the county.
"This office will not have a salary, neither will it have allowances. This office will be held by the first gentleman of the county," she stated.
The First Gentle Man was also given the role of 'ambassador of Meru Hustlers' sparking controversy.
