The news
NAIROBI – The future of Kenyan Vice President Rigathi Gachagua is at stake after the Kenyan Senate confirmed on Wednesday that it will investigate an impeachment trial against him. It followed a vote Tuesday night in the National Assembly to impeach the country’s second-in-command.
Gachagua, 59, was put in the dock to defend himself against it 11 costs including allegations of gross violation of the constitution, undermining President William Ruto, unlawfully acquiring wealth, publicly attacking a judge and stoking ethnic tensions. He has previously refuted all allegations against him, calling them political propaganda.
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In the event that the motion passes the Senate and is accepted by the court, the vacancy will be filled within fourteen days, according to the East African country’s constitution. The vice president, who has already said he would “fight to the end,” including before the Supreme Court if necessary, will have the freedom to appeal the Senate decision if he finds it unfavorable.
“Kenya is currently in uncharted waters and the process will take a long time before the vice president can resign,” Dan Okatch, a Supreme Court lawyer and governance expert based in Nairobi, told Semafor Africa. He claimed that Vice President Rigathi Gachagua has the court option, meaning he will likely continue to hold office even if the motion to impeach him passes.
“We are staring at the possibility of a long season of politics as Gachagua will certainly seek to expand his support base and fight against his removal from office – the outcome of this process will only amplify already simmering political tensions,” he said. added.
Step back
Gachagua, who recently said interview said that introducing the motion in Parliament meant that the President had approved it, and that he had also complained about losing access to the President’s agenda, making it impossible to align his schedule with that of Ruto. He said he had “read something evil” and accused the president’s handlers of being behind his ordeal.
Before he became President, William Ruto made a promise to defend his deputy against the kind of political persecution he believed he suffered under former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration. Three years into his presidency, Ruto has yet to publicly comment on the ongoing impeachment proceedings against his deputy, raising further questions about the state of their working relationship.
Muchira’s opinion
The move by the country’s 13th parliament to impeach the vice president is further evidence of the already widening cracks in the executive branch and the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition. Gachagua, who in a last-ditch effort last week filed more than 10 petitions in court in a now-failed attempt to quash the impeachment motion, becomes the first state official to face impeachment under Kenya’s constitution promulgated in 2010, making his case unprecedented.
But what cannot be missed is the political gamble the ruling class has taken, which could potentially change the trajectory of the country forever. Gachagua comes from the Kikuyu community – the country’s largest ethnic group – who played a key role in bringing the current government to power in 2022.
While some say Gachagua’s replacement should come from the region to calm the already growing public unrest over his removal from power, it remains to be seen whether President William Ruto will step in to turn things around in his replacement’s favor.
