Isaac Mutuma M’Ethingia to Be Sworn in as Meru Governor After High Court Upholds Mwangaza’s Impeachment

Meru County is set to have a new governor following the High Court’s decision to uphold the impeachment of Governor Kawira Mwangaza.

In a ruling delivered on Friday, March 14, Justice Bahati Mwamuye dismissed Mwangaza’s petition challenging her removal by the Senate, stating that the process met legal requirements. The court affirmed that she was accorded a fair hearing and ruled that the gazette notice confirming her ouster remains valid.

“The court has assessed the totality of the impeachment process and found that she was given ample opportunity to present her case and respond to allegations leveled against her,” Justice Mwamuye stated.

Following the ruling, Deputy Governor Isaac Mutuma M’Ethingia is set to be sworn in as Meru’s new governor on Monday, March 17, 2025, at Mwendantu Grounds, starting at 8:30 a.m., as per a government gazette notice.

Who Is Isaac Mutuma M’Ethingia?

Mutuma was elected deputy governor in 2022 alongside Mwangaza as an independent candidate, defeating political heavyweights including former governors Kiraitu Murungi and Peter Munya.

Before his election, he served as a senior officer in the Kenya Prisons Service and worked as a Reverend in the Methodist Churches of Kenya. Mutuma holds a Higher Diploma in Forensic Psychology and Criminology from the Kenya Institute of Studies in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Kenya Methodist University, and a Master’s Degree in Governance and Ethics from Mount Kenya University.

He has also worked as a Child Rights Advocate with Plan International, a youth representative for Habitat for Humanity in the Mount Kenya Region, and a Human Rights Officer and Inmate Rehabilitation Programme Implementer within the prison services.