Senators have voted to uphold the National Assembly’s decision to ouster the embattled Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua. He will be the first Deputy President to have been ousted through a constitutional process since independence.
Rigathi Gachagua, who failed to appear before the senate for cross-examination by the National Assembly’s legal, has since been admitted at Karen Hospital after experiencing chest pains. Dr. Gikonyo said the DP will remain admitted in the next 72 hours.
The afternoon senate proceedings failed to kickstart on time, prompting the intervention of the DP’s Paul Muite-led legal, who requested the speaker to give them time to find out where the DP, who was to appear as a witness, failed.
However, after minutes of waiting, it became apparent that the DP could not make back to the chamber, as reported by the senior council, Paul Muite. Given the state of the matter as it was being described as time-bound, the Speaker decided to suspend the proceedings until 5 pm to asses the DP’s Condition.
Upon resuming for the session, it became apparent that no progress was on the DP, Gachagua’s side, prompting the Speaker, Amason Kingi, to seek an intervention from the senate members who held a lengthy debate as to whether to continue the process or postpone it to Saturday.
This after the Paul Muite’s-led legal team pleaded with the chamber to postpone the proceedings due to Gachugua’s ailing. The legal side of the National Assembly could admit the request, but due to its contentious status, it was thrown to the lawmakers to decide.
The majority leader, Aaron Cheruiyot, also argued that there was a need to extend the time to give room for Gachugua’s contribution on Saturday. However, the majority of the senators objected to the proposed move, prompting the speaker to give the greenlight for the go-ahead of the process.
This discontented the DP’s side of the legal team, including a section of the senate members to walk out in protests of the decision by the majority members to proceed with the debate.
Votes were cast electronically on each alleged 11 grounds of impeachment. The Senators voted to uphold 5 grounds. The DP was therefore found guilty and ceased to hold the office as declared by the speaker after reading the outcome.
The deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, is now barred from holding any public office for the next 10 years, as enshrined in the 2010 Constitution of the Republic of Kenya.
