Senate Fires Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua

The Senate has upheld the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua after two days of hearing.

He becomes the first deputy president to be impeached in Kenya’s history.

At least 53 senators have voted to uphold the first charge.

Gachagua has been impeached on five counts.

These include ground one of shareholding, ground four of undermining the Independence of Judges, ground five of the National Cohesion and Integrity Act 4, ground six of crimes under the National Cohesion Act and ground nine of gross misconduct (Public Attacks to NIS).

Before the Senate voted to uphold the impeachment, his lawyers walked out in protest after senators voted against extending the process to Saturday.

This was after the embattled Deputy President failed to show up at the plenary in the afternoon and afterwards his lead lawyer Paul Mwite said he had fallen ill and was admitted at Karen Hospital.

“The sad reality is that the DP has been taken ill and is currently in hospital. That is the sad reality,” Muite said.

He said Gachagua was suffering from severe chest pains and because of this, he could not appear at the Senate in person.

The DP had been at the hearing proceedings since Wednesday when it began in the senate.

“I would like to inform honourable senators that I was able to contact doctors at Karen Hospital. There is a team of doctors who are looking after the Deputy President. Because of his condition, I was not able to talk to him directly,” Muite said.

“I was however informed by his doctors that he is currently suffering from intense chest pains. I did not want to inquire beyond that.”

The motion of impeachment was tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse in the National Assembly last week.

A total of 281 MPs voted in favour of the ouster motion against 44 who voted to save his young political career from sudden death.

One MP abstained from voting.

Mutuse preferred 11 charges upon which MPs voted to send President William Ruto’s principal assistant packing.

The accusations include gross violation of the constitution, undermining the President, undermining devolution, irregular acquisition of wealth, publicly attacking a judge, intimidating acting Kemsa CEO, promoting ethnicity, and insubordination to the President among other charges.