The explosive legal battle over Rigathi Gachagua’s political future has taken a dramatic and messy financial twist.
Just hours after the High Court three-judge bench upheld his historic impeachment but handed him a consolation prize of KSh50 million in damages, the Senate has launched a fierce counter-attack.
Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu broke the silence from the legislative house, declaring that Parliament simply does not have the unallocated funds to service the former Deputy President’s multi-million shilling award.
The landmark ruling delivered at the Milimani Law Courts by Justices Eric Ogola, Anthony Mrima, and Freda Mugambi had initially appeared to balance the scales of justice.
While the judges validated the broader impeachment process and cleared the path for Kithure Kindiki, they heavily penalized the Senate for violating Gachagua’s right to a fair hearing during his sudden hospitalization.
The KSh50 million fine was intended by the bench to restore dignity and deter future institutional violations.
However, the Senate is refusing to take the judicial spanking lying down.
Taking to her social media platforms to outline the house’s official defensive strategy, Senator Nyamu confirmed that Parliament’s legal machinery is already preparing to fast-track an urgent appeal to completely quash the monetary award.
The legislator framed the counter-offensive as a matter of raw fiscal survival rather than political malice.
According to Nyamu, the Senate’s budget is tightly allocated, leaving zero margins for unexpected, multi-million shilling court fines.
The leadership maintains that forcing the legislative body to absorb a KSh50 million hit outside its approved expenditure framework would severely disrupt parliamentary operations and cripple essential committee services.
By citing strict budgetary constraints, the Senate is effectively attempting to freeze the payout before Gachagua’s legal team can even attempt to extract the cash.
This financial standoff adds a layer of intense complication to an already convoluted legal landscape. Gachagua’s close defense advisors, including Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina, had previously stated that their client was fighting for constitutional justice rather than state money.
However, the Senate’s preemptive strike ensures that even if Gachagua’s camp wanted to collect the damages, they would find an empty vault guarded by an aggressive team of parliamentary lawyers.
As the battlefield transitions from the High Court to the Court of Appeal, the narrative surrounding the historic ouster is rapidly changing.
What began as a purely constitutional dispute over public participation and leadership integrity has degenerated into a bitter, high-stakes dispute over state resources.
With Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu insisting that Gachagua remains eligible for the presidency and will fight all the way to the Supreme Court, this latest budgetary war ensuring that Kenya’s elite political class will remain locked in a destructive legal marathon heading toward the 2027 general election.