An 11-member committee set up to hear the impeachment charges against Anne Waiguru, the governor of Kirinyaga County, has up to Friday to either clear her or submit a report recommending her removal from office.

Ms Waiguru, a former powerful Cabinet minister perceived to be close to President Uhuru Kenyatta, became the seventh governor to be impeached in the past eight years under a devolved system of governance that redistributed powers to 47 counties and gave the county bosses significant control over resources.

Ms Waiguru, currently one of only two female county governors, is widely expected to also survive the latest Senate inquiry, with the 67-member House having a reputation for dismissing most of the charges put before it.

Ms Waiguru also looks set to find protection in the ongoing succession politics that have seen President Kenyatta move to wrest control of parliamentary leadership from his deputy William Ruto, with the help of opposition leader Raila Odinga.

During a recent debate on how to handle the impeachment charges, senators allied to DP Ruto repeatedly alleged those loyal to the president and Mr Odinga were plotting a whitewash job and questioned the government’s commitment to its own fight against corruption.