BREAKING: Lawmakers In Historic Move Impeach Vice President
The Kenyan Senate made history by voting to impeach Vice President Rigathi Gachagua.
On Thursday, the Senate voted to impeach 59-year-old Vice President Gachagua after a two-day hearing.
The Senate needed to convict the 59-year-old on only one charge to unseat him, the first vice president to be removed in this manner since an amendment to Kenya’s constitution in 2010 introduced impeachment proceedings. Last week, a similar motion targeting President William Ruto’s vice president received overwhelming support in the National Assembly (lower house).
The 11 allegations, which Gachagua adamantly refuted, include corruption, insubordination, money laundering, undermining the government, involvement in ethnically divisive politics, intimidation of public officials, and threats against judges.
Gachagua has refuted the allegations on numerous occasions, but was unable to present evidence in his defense because he was hospitalized with severe chest pains. Nevertheless, the Senate continued the vote in Gachagua’s absence.
On Thursday morning, the Senate session was thrown into chaos when Gachagua’s attorney, Paul Muite, said, “The sad reality is that the Vice President of the Republic of Kenya is very ill,” and asked that the proceedings be postponed because of his client’s health problems.
President William Ruto, who has experienced tense relations with President Gachagua in recent months, has remained silent on the impeachment issue. Many Kenyans perceive the impeachment process as political, with some critics claiming that the government is using it to distract from the impact of the anti-tax demonstrations that rocked Kenya in June and July.
