Hospitalised Deputy President Impeached

Kenya has made history as the Senate voted to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on Thursday, despite his absence from the proceedings due to a serious health issue.

Gachagua, 59, became the first deputy president in the country’s history to be removed from office.

The Senate, led by Speaker Amason Kingi, proceeded with the impeachment vote, rejecting a plea from Gachagua’s lawyer, Paul Muite, who had requested a postponement. Muite informed the lawmakers that Gachagua had fallen critically ill and was hospitalised just hours before the vote. Despite this, Kingi stated that the deputy president had until 5pm local time to appear, but he failed to do so.

A total of 53 senators voted to uphold the first charge, and Gachagua was impeached on five counts out of the 11 charges he faced.

The charges included allegations related to shareholding, undermining judicial independence, violations of the National Cohesion and Integrity Act, and gross misconduct, particularly regarding his public attacks on Kenya’s national security intelligence service.

In June, Gachagua had blamed the head of the intelligence agency for failing to properly brief President William Ruto and the government about the scale of public unrest over unpopular tax hikes. His remarks were widely viewed as undermining the president’s authority, contributing to the impeachment charges.

In the National Assembly, 281 MPs voted in favour of the motion to oust Gachagua, with 44 voting against and one abstention. This impeachment marks a significant moment in Kenya’s political history, raising questions about the future of the country’s leadership.
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