Kenyan Senate Impeaches Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua

In a historic move, the Kenyan Senate has impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The decision came after a vote held on Thursday evening, despite a plea from Gachagua’s lawyer, Paul Muite, to postpone the proceedings due to his client’s health condition. Muite informed the Senate that Gachagua had been hospitalized after falling seriously ill just hours before the vote.

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi announced that Gachagua had until 5:00 pm local time to appear in person. However, the Deputy President’s inability to attend due to his health led the lawmakers to proceed with the vote. Gachagua, aged 59, has now become the first deputy president in Kenya’s history to be impeached.

The Senate voted to uphold the first of 11 charges against Gachagua, with at least 53 senators supporting the motion. Ultimately, he was impeached on five specific counts, including charges related to shareholding, undermining the independence of judges, violating the National Cohesion and Integrity Act, committing crimes under the same act, and gross misconduct, particularly through public attacks on the national security intelligence service.

One of the key issues raised against Gachagua was his criticism in June of the head of the intelligence agency, whom he accused of failing to adequately inform President William Ruto and the government about the severity of mass protests over controversial tax increases. Gachagua’s actions were perceived as undermining the authority of the president, which formed a significant basis for the impeachment charges.

In the final vote, 281 members of parliament supported the motion for Gachagua’s removal, while 44 opposed it, and one MP abstained. This decisive outcome marks a significant chapter in Kenya’s political landscape, as the country navigates the fallout from the impeachment of its Deputy President.