Rigathi Gachagua might become the first deputy president to face impeachment since Kenya revamped its Constitution in 2010 [File: Monicah Mwangi/Reuters].
The Kenyan Senate has embarked on impeachment proceedings against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, following a court’s confirmation of their legality.
The National Assembly, representing the lower house of Parliament, recently voted in favor of impeaching Gachagua on 11 charges, which include corruption, undermining governmental authority, and inciting ethnic conflicts.
The 59-year-old leader has refuted all allegations, claiming the impeachment push, orchestrated by President William Ruto’s supporters and certain opposition figures, is baseless. He likened the action to a “political lynching,” according to court records inspected by Reuters.
Despite filing an appeal at the High Court, Judge Eric Ogola decided on Wednesday that the impeachment should proceed, leading the way for Senate deliberations and a decisive vote on his removal.
“At this juncture, the process is legitimate and constitutional,” declared the judge in court. “The Senate will conduct a trial where every issue put before the court will be addressed,” he added.
Drama Unfolds
As the Senate began its session, Gachagua faced the 11 accusations detailed by Senate clerk Jeremiah Nyegenye.
“Not guilty,” Gachagua asserted confidently in response to each charge.
During the hearing on Wednesday, those in Parliament advocating Gachagua’s removal laid out their arguments before the senators.
Gachagua is set to present his defense on Thursday ahead of a decisive vote. A two-thirds majority is required to remove him from office.
If he is indeed ousted, Gachagua would stand as the first deputy president to be removed through impeachment since Kenya’s constitutional revision in 2010 allowed for such proceedings.
As a prominent businessman from the Kikuyu community, Kenya’s largest ethnic group, Gachagua weathered earlier corruption scandals and emerged as deputy leader alongside Ruto in their fiercely competitive August 2022 election campaign.
His alliance was crucial in capturing crucial votes from the densely populated central Kenya, but since then, his relationship with President Ruto has soured and political coalitions have realigned.
Gachagua expressed grievances over sidelining by the president and faced accusations of backing youth-led antigovernment protests that erupted in June, revealing fissures within the ruling class.
Following the unrest against tax hikes, which resulted in over 50 fatalities, Ruto dismissed the majority of his cabinet and integrated opposition figures into a so-called unity government.
While President Ruto has remained tight-lipped regarding the impeachment, Gachagua acknowledged that the process couldn’t have advanced without the president’s nod.
Source: Various News Agencies
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
