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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
The Kenyan Senate made history on Thursday evening by voting to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, marking the first time a deputy president has been removed from office in the country.
The impeachment proceedings took place despite a plea from Gachagua’s lawyer, Paul Muite, who requested a postponement due to the deputy president’s hospitalization.
Muite informed the lawmakers that Gachagua fell seriously ill just hours before the vote was scheduled to occur.
Senate Speaker, Amason Kingi stated that Gachagua had until 5 PM local time to appear before the Senate, but his absence ultimately led to the decision to proceed with the impeachment.
The final vote saw at least 53 senators supporting the motion, which was passed on five out of the eleven charges against the deputy president.
The charges included allegations of improper shareholding, undermining the independence of judges, violations of the National Cohesion and Integrity Act, and gross misconduct, specifically public attacks on the National Security Intelligence Service.
Gachagua’s actions earlier in June, where he criticized the intelligence agency for failing to brief President William Ruto on the scale of mass protests against unpopular tax hikes, were viewed as undermining the president’s authority.
The impeachment motion received overwhelming support in the National Assembly, with 281 Members of Parliament voting in favor of Gachagua’s ouster compared to just 44 against, with one MP abstaining.
Following the vote, Speaker Kingi declared, “DP Gachagua ceases to hold office.” If Gachagua chooses not to challenge the impeachment in court, the development opens the door for President Ruto to nominate a successor, though the president has yet to publicly comment on the situation.
Throughout the proceedings, Gachagua has maintained that the impeachment efforts are part of a “political witch hunt,” vowing to defend his position and clear his name.
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