Nairobi High Court temporarily suspends Senate’s decision to impeach Gachagua on Friday. This comes following Kenyan Senators Vote to Remove Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from Office.
The Kenyan Senate on Thursday voted to remove Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, marking him as the first deputy president to be impeached since the introduction of impeachment procedures under Kenya’s 2010 constitution.
Gachagua faced 11 charges, including corruption, insubordination, and money laundering, all of which he ardently denied, claiming they were politically motivated.
His political troubles began when allies of President William Ruto accused him of disloyalty.
The Senate ultimately found him guilty of five charges, including engaging in ethnically divisive politics and threatening judges, while clearing him of six others, including corruption.
The impeachment proceedings on Thursday were fraught with drama. Gachagua was hospitaliSed due to severe chest pains, prompting his lawyer, Paul Muite, to request a pause in the proceedings.
Nevertheless, the Senate chose to continue with the impeachment hearing, leading Gachagua’s legal team to withdraw in protest.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In a further twist, the Nairobi High Court temporarily suspended the Senate’s decision to impeach Gachagua on Friday. Gachagua had approached the court, citing “monumental constitutional issues” as grounds for halting the impeachment process.
Led by Judge Chacha Mwita, the court granted a temporary suspension pending a hearing on the petition.
Additionally, the court suspended President Ruto’s appointment of Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki to the position of deputy president. However, the appointment had been approved by the National Assembly earlier that morning.
