Kenya’s parliament has begun the latest move to remove Vice President Rigathi Gachagua from office.
An overwhelming majority voted in the National Assembly last week to approve his impeachment, setting the stage for the two-day Senate trial that will decide whether or not he will be impeached.
The vice president faces 11 charges, including corruption, inciting ethnic division and undermining the government – all of which he denies.
The row follows his recent spat with President William Ruto, who has been silent on the issue.
Gachagua’s trial is being conducted before a packed Senate floor, after it abandoned a process to set up an 11-member commission to investigate the allegations.
Proceedings have begun and the charges will be read, followed by opening statements from both sides.
Analysts expect the vice president’s impeachment to hold as the ruling party’s senators are likely to be backed by those of the main opposition, as happened when the lower house voted on the matter.
Starting at noon local time (0900 GMT) on Wednesday, the National Assembly’s evidence against Gachagua, including any witnesses, will be introduced and examined for three hours, followed by another two hours of cross-examination.
The trial will resume on Thursday until late afternoon, with evidence and witnesses from Gachagua’s side being considered.
At the end of the trial, senators will debate the motion for about two hours in the evening and then vote – scheduled for Thursday evening from 8:30 PM local time.
The Senate could decide to extend the trial until Friday, the last day it can legally extend the case.
At least two-thirds of the Senate’s 67 members must approve the motion to remove Gachagua from office.
If that happens and his impeachment stands, he will never be able to hold public office again.
He is expected to challenge the impeachment in court if it is passed.
The vice president has made numerous failed attempts to halt the impeachment process, with at least 26 lawsuits filed so far.
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that the court would not interfere and said the Senate should continue with its constitutional mandate.
And just before the trial began on Wednesday, a three-judge bench also rejected a similar request.
Some of the grounds for Gachagua’s ouster include allegations that he has acquired assets worth 5.2 billion Kenyan shillings ($40 million; £31 million) in the two years since he became vice president – allegedly acquired through corrupt means.
He explained, including during his trial at the National Assembly, that most of the properties in question came from the estate of his late brother.
The vice president is a wealthy businessman from the vote-rich central region of Mount Kenya.
In just five years, he rose from being its first MP to number two in Kenya’s leadership after Ruto picked him as his running mate in the August 2022 elections.
At the time, he was fighting corruption charges in court, which were later dropped when he became vice president.
His impeachment trial has dominated the discussions of many Kenyans and the media in recent weeks.
Some see the high political drama the case has sparked as a distraction from the economic concerns of the majority of Kenyans struggling with the high cost of living.
In June, disgruntled Kenyans took to the streets in deadly protests that erupted over unpopular tax hikes and exposed a deep rift between Ruto and Gachagua.
Gachagua is now accused of undermining the work of the security services, following comments he made at the time blaming the intelligence service.
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