Senators renew battle with courts in Samboja impeachment case

Senators Tuesday vowed to go ahead with the impeachment probe of Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja in a tussle set to test separation of powers between Parliament and the Judiciary.

A special Senate committee chaired by Embu Senator Njeru Ndwiga has 10 days to hear the case which will see the legislators vote in support or against the impeachment motion.

“This committee shall therefore proceed to conduct the hearing and attendant proceedings in line with the directive set out by the chair in his communication and in line with its mandate as set out under Section 33(4) of the County Governments Act, 2012, and standing order 75(2) of the Senate Standing Orders,” the committee said in a statement.

The move sets the stage for turf wars after last week’s High Court ruling barring the Senate and Taita Taveta County Assembly from discussing, hearing and “or otherwise handling” the impeachment motion.

Taita Taveta ward representatives voted to impeach Mr Samboja last month for alleged misappropriating funds, failure to deliver the annual state of the county address and failure to remit statutory deductions, among others.