Tagare Ward Member of County Assembly Moses Magwa has vowed to press ahead with his impeachment motion against Migori Deputy Governor Dr. Joseph Mahiri, dismissing claims that he accepted a KSh3 million bribe to withdraw the plan.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, at the County Assembly precincts,Magwa termed the bribery allegations “malicious rumours” aimed at derailing the impeachment process, insisting it will proceed as planned.
“I have never met Dr. Mahiri in Kisumu as claimed, nor have I received any money to drop this motion,” Magwa said.
“On the day the alleged payment was made, I was at home the entire day. My phone records can confirm this.”
He said the only encounter he has had with the deputy governor was during a public empowerment forum and announced plans to sue five individuals for defamation over the claims.
Grounds for Impeachment
The MCA accused the deputy governor’s office of corruption and misuse of public funds, citing Auditor General reports from 2022 to 2025 that allegedly show millions of shillings meant for peace initiatives in the volatile Kuria region cannot be accounted for.
“According to the Auditor General’s reports from 2022 to 2025, funds allocated for peace initiatives in Migori County cannot be accounted for. The Controller of Budget found no evidence of their utilisation,” he alleged.
The MCA expressed disappointment over the marginalisation of the Kuria community, noting that despite the region contributing 30 per cent of the county’s political support, it has received only Ksh.200,000 out of a possible Ksh.1 billion in development allocation.
“Dr. Mahiri was elected together with the governor to represent Kuria interests, but he has failed terribly. He only channels jobs and projects to his clan while the rest of us are neglected,” Magwa added.
He further accused the deputy governor of acting as a mere secretary to the governor instead of advocating for development in the region.
“We elected Dr. Mahiri to push our agenda with the Governor, but he has failed. Instead of advocating for Kuria, he describes himself as the Governor’s secretary – a role unbecoming of a Deputy Governor,” he asserted.
Motion Gains Support
Magwa confirmed that he has already secured enough signatures from fellow MCAs to table the motion in the County Assembly and is gathering more documents to back his case.
“I am still collecting additional evidence from the deputy governor’s office to strengthen the motion,” he said.
The impeachment debate is expected to be scheduled soon.
Dr. Mahiri had not responded to the allegations by the time of going to press.
About the Author
