Kenyan MPs will vote on whether to impeach Vice President Rigathi Gachagua, in a political row that has gripped the country following his recent feud with President William Ruto.
Lawmakers accuse Gachagua of corruption, practicing ethnically divisive politics and undermining the government, among numerous other charges.
The 59-year-old politician, popularly known as ‘Riggy G’, has described the allegations against him as ‘outrageous’ and ‘pure propaganda’, insisting they are part of a plot to drive him out of office.
He is expected to appear before parliament to defend himself before the vote, after which the impeachment proceedings will move to the Senate.
Political tensions have been high in the East African country since June, when deadly demonstrations broke out over unpopular tax hikes, exposing a deep rift between Ruto and Gachagua.
Ruto dismissed most of his cabinet and brought in members of the main opposition following the anti-tax protests, which left more than 50 people dead.
Several MPs linked to Gachagua were summoned by police last month, accused of financing the protests – although no charges were laid.
Security has been heightened in the capital Nairobi ahead of the elections, with police patrols and major roads leading to parliament closed to the public.
About twenty lawyers have been hired to defend Gachagua against the impeachment motion, local media report.
A total of 291 parliamentarians, more than the 117 required by the constitution, signed the motion to start the impeachment trial last week.
Gachagua has failed in numerous attempts by the court to halt the progress of the proceedings.
In a televised address on Monday, Gachagua accused Mwengi Mutuse, the MP who drafted the motion, of lying, calling it “shameful and sensational”.
The motion lists 11 grounds for impeachment, including allegations that Gachagua amassed assets worth 5.2 billion Kenyan shillings ($40 million, £31 million) in unexplained wealth in two years.
“I am innocent of all these charges,” Gachagua said.
“I have no intention of resigning from this position. I will fight to the end.”
The vice president said some of the properties mentioned in the motion belonged to his late brother.
He also defended the controversial renovation of his official residence in the capital.
When major decisions have to be taken by parliamentarians, the constitution stipulates that the public must be consulted first.
According to a parliamentary report, more than 200,000 responses were received as part of that process, with 65% supporting Gachagua’s impeachment while almost 34% opposed it.
On Sunday, Gachagua appealed to Ruto and MPs to forgive him for any misconduct during his tenure. He later clarified that his apology was not an admission of guilt.
Ruto has not yet publicly commented on the impeachment motion, but he said in the early days of his presidency that he would never publicly humiliate his deputy.
To pass the motion, the support of at least two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, is needed.
This is expected to continue as the main opposition has now joined forces with the president’s party.
Gachagua, a wealthy businessman from the vote-rich Mount Kenya region, battled past corruption scandals to become Ruto’s running mate in a hard-fought election in August 2022.
He is from the Kikuyu community, the country’s largest ethnic group, while President Ruto is a Kalenjin, an ethnic group living mainly in the Rift Valley.
These two communities were in conflict after the 2007 elections: ethnic violence that left 1,200 people dead across the country.
If the Senate also supports the motion, Gachagua would become the first vice president to be impeached under the constitution adopted in 2010.
In 1989, then Vice President Josephat Karanja resigned when faced with a similar motion.
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