Amos Nyaribo, governor of Nyamira county, is battling for political survival after assembly members tabled a fresh impeachment motion on Monday, the third attempt to oust him since he took office in 2022.
Bonyamatuta Ward representative Julius Kimwomi Matwere accused Nyaribo of gross violation of the constitution, abuse of office and irregular appointments. The county assembly will reconvene on Tuesday morning to debate whether the charges merit investigation by a special committee.
The move follows dawn raids on 29 October by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on Nyaribo’s homes and offices in Nyamira, Kisii and Nairobi. Detectives are probing an allegedly irregular KSh382 million tender awarded during his administration. Several senior county officials were also targeted.
Nyaribo has twice escaped removal by narrow margins. In September 2024 he survived when 22 of 34 members voted for impeachment, one vote short of the required two-thirds majority. A year earlier, in September 2023, only 16 members supported his ouster.
Local analysts say the repeated motions reflect deepening rifts between the governor and a faction of MCAs reportedly backed by influential Gusii region politicians positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections. Critics accuse the assembly of weaponising impeachment to settle political scores, while supporters insist the corruption allegations demand accountability.
If the assembly secures the necessary two-thirds vote, the matter will move to the Senate for a final decision. Nyaribo, who has not yet responded publicly to the latest motion, previously dismissed earlier attempts as politically orchestrated.
The turmoil has paralysed development projects in the agriculturally rich county and heightened tensions in a region already sensitive to allegations of marginalisation within national politics.
Nyaribo became governor in December 2020 after the sudden death of John Nyagarama, whom he had served as deputy. He completed the remainder of that term before contesting and winning the August 2022 general election in his own right on a United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ticket, an affiliate of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition led by Raila Odinga.
His victory was later confirmed by the High Court after a petition challenging the results.
Tale of Two Assemblies
As leader of the small but strategically placed UPA party, Nyaribo has tried to navigate the turbulent politics of the Gusii region.
But relations with a significant section of the county assembly have steadily deteriorated, resulting in two failed impeachment attempts in September 2023 and September 2024, both falling short of the required two-thirds majority by narrow margins.
For much of the past two years, Nyamira County has effectively functioned with two parallel county assemblies: one faction staunchly loyal to Governor Amos Nyaribo, the other openly committed to his removal.
This deep fracture has turned routine legislative business into a permanent battlefield, stalled critical development projects and left civil servants uncertain whose directives to follow.
