The Kenyan Senate has impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, marking a historic moment as the first removal of a deputy president under the 2010 constitutional reforms.
In a session held on Thursday, October 17, Gachagua was found guilty of five out of the 11 charges brought against him. These charges included corruption, money laundering, insubordination, ethnic divisiveness, and undermining the government. Under the constitution, a conviction on just one charge was sufficient for his removal from office.
The 59-year-old deputy president’s impeachment follows a similar vote by the National Assembly last week, where the motion to remove him from office was overwhelmingly passed. Gachagua, who has consistently denied the accusations, was unable to testify in his defense after being hospitalized with severe chest pains. Despite his absence, the Senate proceeded with the vote.
The Senate session was thrown into turmoil earlier on Thursday when Gachagua’s lawyer, Paul Muite, requested a delay in the proceedings, citing his client’s serious medical condition.
The sad reality is that the deputy president of the Republic of Kenya has been taken seriously ill,” Muite said, asking for a brief adjournment.
However, a motion to delay the hearing until Saturday was rejected by the Senate, prompting Gachagua’s legal team to walk out in protest.
Kenyan President William Ruto, who has had a strained relationship with Gachagua in recent months, has not reacted to the impeachment.
