Senators have voted to uphold a preliminary objection raised by Nyamira Governor Amos Kimwomi Nyaribo, effectively halting the impeachment proceedings against him. The decision means the case will not proceed to a full hearing.

A total of 38 Senators voted in favour of the Motion, while only four opposed it.

At the start of Wednesday morning’s sitting, during the hearing on the proposed removal of the Governor from office, Governor Nyaribo’s legal team raised two preliminary objections. They argued that the impeachment Motion dated 11 November 2025 did not meet the constitutional and statutory thresholds required for such proceedings. Counsel submitted that the purported resolution to impeach the Governor was invalid and incompetent, having failed to satisfy the mandatory provisions of Article 181 of the Constitution and Section 33 of the County Governments Act.

In the second objection, the Governor’s legal team, led by Mr Elias Mutuma, argued that the concept of proxy voting was alien to the law, illegal and null and void. They contended that attempts to justify discrepancies in the vote count through claims of proxy voting were legally untenable and only compounded what they described as proceedings founded on fraud, forgery and misrepresentation.

The Governor’s team insisted that only 19 Members of the County Assembly were physically present in the chamber during the vote, yet the Assembly recorded 23 votes in favour of the impeachment Motion, an outcome they termed numerically impossible, improper and fraudulent.

They further argued that the County Assembly’s position that three existing vacancies reduced the Assembly’s membership from 35 to 32 was legally flawed and illogical.

Responding to the objections, Counsel for the County Assembly maintained that proxy voting had been done appropriately and that proxy letters were available as evidence of the delegation. They argued that although proxy voting was not expressly provided for in the Assembly’s standing orders, the Speaker had exercised discretion under Standing Order No. 1 to allow it.

Before voting on the Motion, Senators delivered various submissions, with most emphasising the importance of ensuring justice for the Governor, the County Assembly and the people of Nyamira County.