Senate Committee on Energy chaired by Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga held a meeting with Kenya Association of Manufacturers. 

The meeting was to discuss the role of the manufacturing sector in energy space and the promotion of sustainable energy use in Kenya. 

The acting Chief Executive of the Association, Mr. Tobias Alando said that manufacturers consume up 67% of the electricity produced in the country with large commercial and industrial consumers being the major users of electrical energy. 

Senate Standing Committee on Energy chaired by Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga today met with Africa Smart Meters Association led by its chairman Charles Kaloki and Secretary General James Ngomeli.

Mr. Kaloki said that most of the so-called manufacturers in the industry are actually assemblers, with a low percentage of local content, which limits job generation. 

The local smart meter companies illustrate the current landscape of assembly-focused operations rather than true manufacturing in the smart metering sector.

The Senate has upheld the impeachment Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua by the National Assembly and voted to remove him from office.

The outcome of the vote, taken late in the night, is the first time in the history of Kenya that the holder of the Office of the Deputy President has ceased to hold office through a trial borne out of impeachment proceedings.

The 67 lawmakers of the Senate found the DP guilty on five grounds but absolved him on six charges. 

Hon Mwengi Mutuse, the sponsor of the Special Motion that saw Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua impeached by the National Assembly, has told the Senate that he is not an investigator and his aim is to subject the country’s second in command to take political responsibility for his action.

The Member of Parliament told the House that the purpose of his push to have the Deputy President removed from Office was neither to prove criminal or civil culpability.

The National Assembly is expected to continue prosecuting its case against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua this morning, on the second day of the hearing on his impeachment trial.

Speaker Amason Kingi adjourned the hearing on the first day, Wednesday 16 October, after the National Assembly called two of its four witnesses.

The first witness to take the stand was Hon Mwengi Mutuse, the Kibwezi West MP, who was the mover of the Motion followed by Dr Andrew Mulwa who briefly served as the acting CEO of the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA).

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has dismissed a preliminary objection filed by the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in which he sought to bar Senior Counsel James Orengo from representing the National Assembly in his impeachment trial.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has objected to a request by the National Assembly to have senior officials in the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) saying the request will irredeemably prejudice the trial against him.

The Deputy President said the request was against the provisions of Article 25 of the constitution on fair trial and wondered why neither the EACC nor the Directorate of Criminal Investigations had been invited to investigate some of the criminal allegations levelled against him in the trial.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has categorically denied all 11 charges brought against him in an impeachment Motion initiated by Kibwezi West MP Eckomas Mwengi Mutuse. The Motion, which sailed through the National Assembly endorsed by 282 MPs, accuses Gachagua of gross misconduct and violations of the Constitution. 

Kenya’s preparations to host the 14^th Edition of East Africa Community Inter-Parliamentary Games (EAC-IPG) to be held in Mombasa County from December 6 to December 18, 2024 is on track.

In a significant decision, Senators voted to uphold a preliminary objection that effectively terminated the impeachment proceedings against Kericho County Governor, Dr. Erick Mutai.

A total of 34 Senators voted in favour of the objection raised by Governor Mutai's legal team, led by Counsel Katwa Kigen while 10 Senators opposed it.

Kericho County Governor Hon (Dr) Erick Mutai has denied all the charges brought against him by the Kericho County Assembly as his impeachment hearing kicked off before the Senate, Monday morning. Appearing before Senators on the first day of the proceedings, Governor Mutai rejected every accusation read to him by Clerk of the Senate Mr Jeremiah Nyegenye, asserting his innocence in the face of allegations that threaten his leadership.

The Senate is set to commence impeachment proceedings against Kericho County Governor Dr Erick Kipkoech Mutai this Monday, 14th October 2024. The Senators will be tasked with determining the validity of various charges brought against Governor Mutai, including gross violations of the Constitution, abuse of office and gross misconduct.

The Special Funds Accounts Committee has asked the management of the Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF), commonly known as the Hustler Fund, to submit a comprehensive list of loan defaulters, detailing their names, amounts owed and contact information per constituency.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua will face the full House of the Senate as he fights attempts to remove him from office through impeachment.

Speaker Amason Kingi ruled Wednesday that the trial for the removal of the Deputy President will be conducted by the plenary after a motion to establish an 11-member special was withdrawn for lack of a seconder.

Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot had the moved the motion but the deputy Majority Whip Edwin Sifuna refused to second the motion when called upon, forcing the Speaker to withdraw the motion.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Water Sector Trust Fund (WSTF), Mr. Willis Ombai, has informed the Senate Committee on Lands, Environment and Natural Resources that the WaterFund has signed projects valued at Ksh. 13.3 billion with various water service providers. This update was provided during discussions on the status of projects implemented by the Fund.

Speaker Amason Kingi has set Monday, October 14 and Tuesday, October 15, 2024 as the date that the House will conduct the trial of Kericho Governor Eric Mutai to determine whether allegations levelled against him by the County Assembly are substantiated.

The Speaker made the ruling after an attempt by Minority Whip Edwin Sifuna to move the motion that should have seen the formation of an 11-member Special Committee fell through for lack of a seconder.

Standing Committee on Energy held a meeting to to consider the alleged irregularities in the

construction of Line 5 (Mombasa-Nairobi) Pipeline. 

The expected government officials to appear before the committee were Cabinet Secretary for Treasury, John Mbadi and Kenya Pipeline Managing Director, the Auditor General; and the Director General,Public ProcurementRegulatory Authority(PPRA). 

Managing Director of Kenya Pipeline, Joe Sang sent apologies since he had travelled to Saudi Arabia on official duty. 

Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Mr. Allan Kilavuka appeared before the Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing chaired by Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thangwa.

Meeting with management of Kenya Airways (KQ) was to deliberate on the status of the revitalization plan for Kenya Airways dubbed *__Project Kifaru_*

Mr. Kilavuka expressed optimism that the national carrier is soaring higher and higher going by the fact that Kenya Airways made an operating profit of Ksh. 10.5 billion in the year ending December, 2023.