Security officials thwarted an attempt to burn down the Kericho County Assembly on Friday ahead of a planned impeachment session of governor Dr Erick Mutai.
Police said the security team manning the assembly on Friday August 15 recovered five liters of plastic petrol bomb that had been thrown onto the rooftop of the assembly.
The assembly is near the local police station. A tyre that had been lit was then thrown into the compound but was stuck on the razor wire forming part of the perimeter wall around the premises.
The petrol bomb had landed in the compound but failed to catch fire as the burning tyre was stuck on the fence, police and other witnesses of the 3 am incident said.
The police rushed to the scene and put off the fire. Police suspect the incident was meant to derail a planned impeachment motion by a section of Members of County Assembly on Dr Mutai.
The motion was set for discussion on Friday. It comes less than a year after the Senate saved him from removal. The charges relate to Sh85 million paid to contractors for services not rendered.
The motion was tabled by Sigowet Ward MCA Kiprotich Rogony.
In it, he alleges misappropriation of taxpayer money and donor funds meant for various projects. He claims that all goods, services and works were paid for in advance yet the county has pending bills of Sh1.1 billion.
The motion was approved by Speaker Patrick Mutai. Dr Mutai will likely be summoned before the assembly to defend himself against the allegations preferred against him, before a decision is made on the impeachment motion with the MCAs then expected to debate and vote on it.
In October last year, Dr Mutai was impeached by 31 out of 47 Members of the Kericho County Assembly following a motion tabled by the same MCA -Rogony.
16 MCAs who supported the governor boycotted the session.
In the first impeachment bid, he faced charges of gross violation of the 2010 Constitution, and other laws, abuse of office, flouting the Leadership and Integrity Act, violation of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, misappropriation of public funds, illegal drawing of county revenue, and engaging in indecent sexual acts.
He was later saved in the Senate after 34 senators voted against his ouster while 10 voted to uphold his removal from office. This is after the Senate found that the minimum threshold of 32 MCAs was not met at the County Assembly when they voted to impeach.
Dr Mutai is serving his first term under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) political party ticket.
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