Kenya: Kenyan senators have voted to remove Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from office in a dramatic turn of events, despite his absence at the impeachment trial due to reported chest pains. Gachagua, popularly known as “Riggy G,” had been prepared to testify in the Senate but failed to appear after being hospitalised at The Karen Hospital.
His lawyer requested a postponement, citing Gachagua’s health condition, but the Senate insisted on the trial. The defence team walked out after the denial to delay proceedings, indicating the Senate’s decision to proceed without further delay. Gachagua’s absence did not prevent the Senate from moving forward, with an overwhelming two-thirds majority voting to keep five charges against him, including instigating ethnic divisions and violating his oath of office.
Gachagua, a businessman from the central Mount Kenya region, was cleared of six other charges, including corruption and money laundering. The judgment to impeach comes just two years after Gachagua and President William Ruto were elected on a joint ticket, marking a dramatic fallout between the two top leaders. Gachagua has referred to the impeachment as a “political lynching.”
Months of infighting between the deputy president and President Ruto culminated in the impeachment, particularly after Gachagua publicly criticised the head of the intelligence agency over the handling of mass protests in June. Following this, Ruto reshuffled his cabinet, bringing in members of the opposition.
The vote consolidates Ruto’s control over the government, although he has yet to remark on the impeachment. Gachagua, who is currently undergoing medical tests, had earlier vowed to challenge the Senate’s decision.
Reports are already speculating about Gachagua’s possible successors, with Murang’a County Governor Irungu Kang’ata, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, and Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi emerging as probable candidates.
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