Kenya’s senate to vote on Deputy President Gachagua’s impeachment

Kenya’s Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, faces a critical vote in the upper house of parliament on Thursday, as senators prepare to decide whether to remove him from office.

This unprecedented political drama follows an impeachment trial that began on Wednesday, after the National Assembly voted last week to impeach Gachagua on 11 charges, including corruption, insubordination, undermining the government, and fostering ethnically divisive politics.

The impeachment trial has captured national attention, as Gachagua, popularly known as “Riggy G,” defends himself against the charges.

The 59-year-old politician has consistently denied the accusations, and no criminal charges have been filed against him.

Nevertheless, if the Senate approves the impeachment, Gachagua will automatically be removed from office, marking the first time a deputy president has been ousted under Kenya’s 2010 constitution.

Despite his legal challenges to stop the process, Gachagua remains defiant, criticizing his treatment as though he were a “spent cartridge.”

However, even if the Senate votes in favor of his impeachment, Gachagua can still contest the decision in court.

The Senate’s decision could mark a turning point in Kenyan politics, as the country watches to see whether the deputy president will survive this historic challenge to his position.

– ‘Nonsensical allegations’ –

Among the names of possible successors floated by the Kenyan media are Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, Foreign Minister and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and a county governor, Anne Waiguru.

Gachagua’s chances of survival are slim if opposition members in the 67-seat Senate back the ruling party as witnessed in the National Assembly vote on October 9.

Unlike the process in the lower house, where MPs delivered their verdict on the entire motion, senators need to back just one charge, by at least two-thirds of the votes, for the impeachment to succeed.

An overwhelming 282 MPs in the 349-member assembly had overwhelmingly voted to impeach Gachagua, well over the more than two-thirds required.

A powerful businessman from Kenya’s biggest tribe, the Kikuyu, Gachagua weathered previous corruption scandals to become deputy leader as Ruto’s running mate in the closely fought 2022 election.

But in recent weeks, he has complained of being sidelined by the president, while also being accused of supporting youth-led anti-government protests that broke out in June.

Political tensions have been running high since the sometimes deadly demonstrations erupted over unpopular tax hikes, exposing divisions in the top echelons of power.

At a media briefing ahead of last week’s vote, Gachagua vehemently rejected what he called “nonsensical allegations” and said the efforts to oust him disregarded the will of the Kenyan people in 2022.

“This is what we call political deceit, conmanship and betrayal.”

Addressing churchgoers in his stronghold of central Kenya on Sunday, Gachagua nevertheless called for his supporters to remain calm.

“Let’s preach and maintain peace irrespective of the outcome. Kenya is our country,” he said.

His lawyers have argued that the impeachment process was unfair and fast-tracked. But in the latest of numerous rulings, a High Court decided Wednesday against suspending the entire process, clearing the way for the Senate hearings to proceed.

Ruto has not given any public comment on the impeachment, but Gachagua has said the process could not have gone ahead without his boss’s blessing.