Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s fate was sealed on Tuesday after 281 members of the National Assembly voted to impeach him.
Despite Gachagua’s impassioned appeal, over two-thirds of lawmakers voted to remove the outspoken DP. This marked the latest in a series of setbacks for the former Mathira MP in recent days.
Following what appeared to be a moment of introspection, possibly after a sermon, Gachagua asked for forgiveness from the president, legislators, and anyone else he believed he had wronged.
The impeachment process, which began at the county level on Friday, was scaled back to the constituency level after a court order. This followed a petition by Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina, a close ally of Gachagua.
However, the DP faced further defeats as courts rejected 18 similar petitions filed nationwide, declining to halt the impeachment.
Speculation grew about President Ruto’s silence on the matter, with some wondering if public pressure to dismiss his administration had affected him. However, The Standard confirmed that lawmakers from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) received direct instructions from the president to remove his embattled deputy.
“The kufa makanga kufa dereva comments did not shake the boss (President Ruto) at all. He moved on from Gen Zs, this was nothing to him.” A UDA Senator who did not want to be mentioned told The Standard.
“It is too late for him to turn back now, as this will only embolden Gachagua,” he said.
The stakes are so high that Senators backing the impeachment have developed a strategy to avoid being taken to a hotel outside the capital. This tactic, allegedly aimed at bribing lawmakers with a short getaway, would result in their absence from the plenary session and the crucial voting process.
“I’m not going to sleep at my house. We will all spend the night at a big hotel in Nairobi on the eve of the impeachment vote,” he said.
By Standard