Embattled Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo made a desperate late visit to Kisii Governor Simba Arati’s private residence in Ogembo on Monday, reportedly pleading for the ODM leader to lobby President William Ruto and sway Senate votes to halt his looming impeachment trial. Sources close to the meeting say Nyaribo dangled a political olive branch, offering to ditch his alliance with opposition heavyweight Fred Matiang’i and publicly join the TUTAM camp in exchange for protection from ouster.
The clandestine Nyaribo-Arati meeting unfolded around 9 pm amid heightened security at Arati’s gated home, just hours after the Senate confirmed a two-day plenary probe into Nyaribo’s removal starting Wednesday.
The Nyamira County Assembly impeached the United Progressive Alliance leader last week on charges of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and irregular recruitment of county staff, with 23 of 31 MCAs voting yes despite abstentions and forgery claims from two dissenters.
Nyaribo’s side has called the proceedings a witch hunt led by competitors, but the Senate’s decision to make the trial public has raised the stakes for the governor, who may face lifelong bans from public office.
Onlookers saw Nyaribo’s Toyota Land Cruiser come up without warning, and the governor got out by himself for a 45-minute meeting behind closed doors. Arati, a vociferous member of the Azimio la Umoja party and deputy party leader under Oburu Odinga, has had to walk a fine line in Gusii politics, combining opposition fury with practical outreach to Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza.
People close to the situation say that Nyaribo, who was pressured from accumulating evidence of financial wrongdoing, including the Sh200 million GWASCO water utility incident, sold his defection as a win-win: it would strengthen TUTAM’s power in South Nyanza while protecting his job.
TUTAM, shorthand for the “Two Terms” pro-Ruto faction gaining traction among moderate Gusii leaders, views Nyaribo’s flip as a coup in a region where ODM holds sway but Kenya Kwanza eyes 2027 gains. “Amos knows the Senate math favours the ruling side if even a few Azimio senators waver.
Linking arms with Arati buys him a hotline to State House,” said a senior UDA strategist who declined to be named. Arati’s recent sit-downs with Ruto, including a November 2025 Gusii unity blueprint session, position him as a kingmaker, though his loyalty to Matiang’i’s inner circle could complicate any rescue mission.
Arati’s office issued a terse statement post-meeting, framing the encounter as routine Gusii camaraderie ahead of the GWASCO asset split talks slated for Tuesday. “Governors Nyaribo and Arati discussed shared development priorities for our people. Unity remains our north star,” the release read, sidestepping impeachment whispers.
Political watchers in Kisii and Nyamira see the Nyaribo-Arati meeting as a high-wire act in Kenya’s fluid alliances. “Simba’s star is rising; Amos is sinking. If he pulls this defection, it fractures Azimio’s Gusii bloc just as Raila eyes AU bids,” opined a University of Nairobi governance lecturer.
There have been fights between the two in the past, such as the 2023 Keroka border dispute and the pyrethrum revival skirmishes, which make things more intriguing. But their instincts for survival may be stronger than their previous grudges.
If he is found guilty, he will be immediately suspended, putting Deputy Governor Evans Nyagaka in charge and starting new battles among the MCAs. For Arati, getting involved might make ODM hardliners angry, but it also makes him more of a broker. Ruto’s silence on the issue is so loud that rumours of a Harambee House intervention are spreading.
Gusii voters, battered by floods and youth joblessness, watch warily. “We elected Amos for tea factories and roads, not drama. If Simba saves him, fine – but deliver results or pack bags,” griped market vendor Jane Moraa in Nyamira town. The Nyaribo Arati meeting shows the Senate impeachments’ chessboard nature: less about justice, more about leverage in Kenya’s patronage politics. By Thursday’s vote, we may know if brotherhood trumps betrayal in the hills of Abagusii.
