Meru MCA Zipporah Kinya presents her testimony during the Senate hearing on Governor Kawira Mwangaza’s impeachment on Monday, August 19, 2024. Image: SENATE/X
In Summary:
- Meru County Assembly’s Deputy Majority Leader, Zipporah Kinya, detailed an attempt by arsonists to set fire to the County Assembly while she and other members were inside
- The attack occurred on the eve of the impeachment motion against Governor Kawira Mwangaza, with additional threats directed at Kinya.
During the Senate hearing for Governor Kawira Mwangaza’s impeachment, Meru County Assembly’s Deputy Majority Leader, Zipporah Kinya, shared a distressing account of an attempted arson at the County Assembly.
She described how an individual threw a petrol bomb onto the assembly’s roof late on the night before the impeachment vote scheduled for August 8, 2024.
Kinya recounted that, in anticipation of the impeachment motion, she and other assembly members decided to stay overnight at the assembly for security reasons.
She explained, “I had tabled another motion that was stopped by the court, and the night I was to move the motion is when the arson attempt was made.”
Supporters of Governor Mwangaza had already threatened to block roads leading to the assembly.
Kinya described the attack, saying, “The fire was lit, it was a petrol bomb that was thrown on the roof of the county assembly from the Meru Law Courts,” noting that the two buildings are adjacent.
According to Kinya, someone climbed onto the roof of the Meru Law Courts and threw a petrol bomb at the assembly, which caught fire.
Kinya, who was inside at the time, had to flee barefoot as the roof began burning. She emphasized that security personnel at the assembly managed to extinguish the fire due to the heightened security presence that night.
Additionally, Kinya revealed that the attackers also attempted to set fire to her home.
She presented CCTV footage showing individuals trying to burn her house, although the fire was extinguished by a watchman.
“Someone threw fire across the fence from my neighbor’s home. It is the watchman who put out the fire,” Kinya said.
County Assembly of Meru. File Photo
This was not her first experience with impeachment motions, as previous attempts had been halted by court orders. With the impeachment of Governor Mwangaza being closely watched, many Kenyans are eager to see if she will avoid removal for the third time.