Rigathi Gachagua Removed From DP Office by Senate after His Impeachment

The Senate has voted to remove Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as the Deputy President of Kenya. Rigathi Gachagua had been elected with a joint ticket as the Deputy President of President William Ruto. Tana River Senator had filed a censure impeachment motion against him on September 23rd, 2024. The matter was first heard at the national assembly where Gachagua was found guilty of the 11 charges that had been tabled against him. A total of 281 MPs voted to approve the 11 charges leveled against him. The charges including unlawfully acquiring assets inconsistent with his salary, acquiring properties through corruption and money laundering, acquiring properties through his family members among other crimes. The National assembly impeached Gachagua. In order to block his impeachment, Gachagua took the matter to the Senate. On the first hearing, Gachagua had pleaded not guilty on the 11 grounds that had been tabled before him. The Senate found him guilty of 5 charges out of 11 charges that had been filed against him with over 45 senators voting yes towards the matter and finding him guilty of 5 charges which included violating his oath of office. This happened on Thursday midnight regardless the fact that Gachagua had been termed ill and was not in a position to defend himself against the charges. His legal team had said that the doctors said that Gachagua was suffering from chest pains and because they couldn’t contact their client, they walked out of the senate. According to the constitution, Gachagua ceased to uphold office after senators voted to uphold his impeachment. The national Assembly is expected to hold a special meeting to vote on Gachagua’s replacement. The Senate’s resolution has not been published yet by Speaker Amason Kingi. Gachagua becomes the first Deputy President in Kenya to be impeached and removed from his office. He also makes history for failing to appear at his second impeachment trial to defend himself.

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Former MP Kimani Ngunjiri Gives An Emotional Statement After Visiting Rigathi Gachagua At Karen Hospital

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Kimani Ngunjiri broke down in tears moments after visiting former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at Karen Hospital in Nairobi. The former DP was impeached by the senate while he was at the hospital Former Bahati Member of Parliament Kimani Ngunjiri penned an emotional message after visiting the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at Karen Hospital in Nairobi. Kimani struggled to contain his emotions as he expressed his displeasure at the Senate’s decision to proceed with the impeachment motion despite Gachagua’s absence. He accused President William Ruto of orchestrating the deputy president’s impeachment. The politician also accused both the house and the executive of failing to take Gachagua’s health seriously. “They can take all his property but his health should be paramount. God protect Gachagua and maintain his health. His heart belongs to you, help us. Right now, there is not much I can say. Right now we leave everything to God. We will see him tomorrow.” He was accompanied by Githunguri legislator Gathoni Wamuchomba who also appeared emotional while addressing the press outside the health facility. Wamuchomba while expressing her dissatisfaction with the impeachment, urged the government to spare Gachagua more woes and let him be and she noted that she has confidence Gachagua would soon get better. “Gachagua will eventually leave the hospital. We are praying for him. If you are so interested in the deputy president’s seat you can keep it. He has not occupied that position for long. But leave him alone and the little he has at his age.” The former deputy president’s impeachment followed the Senate’s resolution to continue with the impeachment process despite a request by Gachagua’s legal team for the adjournment to October 22 after he was taken ill.

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Rigathi Gachagua’s Legal Team Walk out of Senate Trial after Overwhelming Vote

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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s defense counsel has walked out of the senate amidst the second hearing impeachment trial. The defense counsel had requested for the senate impeachment hearing of Gachagua to be postponed to Saturday. Gachagua’s legal team led by senior counsel Paul Muite had suggested earlier that the trial to be postponed to Tuesday. This was in regard to the fact that the Deputy President had fallen ill and had been admitted to the hospital. The doctor handling Gachagua’s illness stated that he should be given bed rest as he was suffering from intense chest pain. Gachagua was present during the trial in the morning but was not present after lunch hour. Miute on speaking at the trial said that because of the illness, he was not allowed by the doctors to speak to him. This caused a bit of confusion in the Senate, but Speaker Kingi acted towards the situation by suspending the hearing to 5pm. During the session, the speaker stated that he was not in a position to make the decision and push the trial forward to a later day. James Orengo reacted towards the matter and said that they needed one of the doctors’ handlings Gachagua’s illness to tell them about the admission and his condition. He further added that there was no evidence that Gachagua was evacuated with an ambulance. He felt it may be opportunistic. Speaker Amason Kingi in his ruling left the decision to the senators in the house. Majority of the senators voted yes towards the matter and wanted the trial to continue without the presence of the Deputy President. With majority senators voting yes, Amos Kingi ruled that the trial would continue without the presence of Rigathi Gachagua. Gachagua’s legal team responded to the matter by leaving the house. They said that they would not continue to appear in house without instructions from the Deputy President as they felt that it would be improper to move forward with the absence of their client.

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Amason Kingi Cautions Senators against Using Talk Time as Moment for Tiktok Dies

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Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has cautioned senators against using moments in the house to go viral. This was during Gachagua’s impeachment motion second hearing at the Senate on 17th October 2024. On the hearing, Kingi had given senators a chance to either seek clarifications or ask questions following the statements that had been made by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Deputy CEO Abdi Ahmed and Gachagua’s counsel Ndegwa Njiru. Murmurs and movements could be heard from the house which prompted Senator Kingi to caution the senators. The session got heated when some of the senators felt dissatisfied for not being given a chance to speak. Amason Kingi said to the honorable senators to use their chance wisely, when given an opportunity and not to take tiktok clips. This made the senators to laugh out uncontrollably. This is a serious matter. Let us not embarrass this house The senate speaker said in relation to the matter. Most Kenyans felt that the person being cautioned about the matter was Karen Nyamu. Kingi had mentioned Karen Nyamu on the first hearing proceeding and urged her to be attentive. National assembly had voted for Gachagua to be kicked out of the office. This prompted Gachagua to seek to secure another chance at the Senate.

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Senate Refuses To adjourn Gachagua’s Impeachment Proceedings To Saturday 19th October

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Gachagua’s impeachment trial continues. The proceeding continues even as the DP is admitted after suffering intense chest pain. Senators have declined the motion to adjourn Gachagua’s impeachment to Saturday 19th October. The senate had considered the adjournment after the DP failed to appear for the afternoon hearing where he was expected to take a witness stand. His disappearance at the Senate was noticed as the House resumed for the afternoon session. “The DP was going to take the stand. We came in here, I communicated the programme for the afternoon, and I said we are going to execute it with military precision owing to the fact that we needed to conclude business today. SC Paul Muite indicated that he cannot get hold of his client, that is not the concern of this house, so time is running out. The floor is available to the DP and no other Senator.” According to his lawyer, Gachagua is currently admitted to Karen Hospital suffering intense chest pain. Gachagua’s lawyer Muite had requested for the adjournment to be pushed till next week but the request has been declined The impeachment trial proceeds and it’s expected to end today.

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Rigathi Gachagua Admitted To Karen Hospital, Suffering Chest Pains

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Gachagua is suffering chest pain and is currently admitted to Karen Hospital. The DP emergency came a few minutes as he was expected to take the witness stand. Gachagua’s lawyer Paul Muite has recently confirmed that the DP is currently admitted to Karen Hospital.. According to Muite, the second in command is suffering intense chest pains. Rigathi Gachagua was rushed to hospital just minutes after he was set to take the witness stand. “The sad reality is that the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya has been taken very sick, and as I address Mr Speaker and this House, he is in the hospital.” This came after his disappearance at the Senate was noticed as the House resumed for the afternoon session. “The DP was going to take the stand. We came in here, I communicated the programme for the afternoon, and I said we are going to execute it with military precision owing to the fact that we needed to conclude business today. SC Paul Muite indicated that he cannot get hold of his client, that is not the concern of this house, so time is running out. The floor is available to the DP and no other Senator.” The DP was expected to take the stand as his own witness in his impeachment case where he has been accused of 11 charges.

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Rigathi Gachagua Hospitalised After Falling Ill Ahead Of His Impeachment Vote

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Rigathi Gachagua rushed to the hospital. The DP emergency came a few minutes as he was expected to take the witness stand. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua rushed to hospital just minutes after he was set to take the stand. According to his lawyer Paul Muite, his client the DP had taken ill following a lunch break at the impeachment trial. Today is when the Senators were expected to vote on the 11 charges facing Gachagua. “The sad reality is that the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya has been taken very sick, and as I address Mr Speaker and this House, he is in the hospital.” However, Muite has not revealed what hospital Rigathi Gachagua has been rushed to, or what ailment he is suffering from. This comes after his disappearance at the Senate was noticed as the House resumed for the afternoon session. “The DP was going to take the stand. We came in here, I communicated the programme for the afternoon, and I said we are going to execute it with military precision owing to the fact that we needed to conclude business today. SC Paul Muite indicated that he cannot get hold of his client, that is not the concern of this house, so time is running out. The floor is available to the DP and no other Senator.” The DP was expected to take the stand as his own witness in the case that seeks to oust him.

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Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja Misses Gachagua’s Impeachment Trial At The Senate

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Sakaja misses Gachagua’s impeachment trial at the senate where he was expected to be a key witness. He was in Mexico City for the Bloomberg Citylab summit. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s absence at D P Rigathi Gachagua’s first impeachment trial on Wednesday has raised a lot of questions. Sakaja, who was expected to be a key witness in the Senate trial, was listed by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi among the National Assembly’s witnesses. However, he was nowhere near Parliament when the session started. The governor was in Mexico City for the Bloomberg CityLab 2024 summit, where he featured as one of the keynote speakers. An event schedule confirmed that the Sakaja joined discussions on urban governance, highlighting the role of youth in shaping city policies. “Later today, Bloomberg CityLab reporter Fola Akinnibi will join Governor H.E. Sakaja Arthur Johnson of Nairobi, Kenya, to talk about what cities can learn from putting young people at the heart of decision-making.’’ The Nairobi Governor was expected to shed light on accusations levelled against the Deputy President, which form the basis of an impeachment motion tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse. He had submitted an affidavit which accused Gachagua of unlawfully interfering with Nairobi County’s operations, including the relocation of traders from Wakulima Market to Kangundo Road Market. According to the affidavit, the Deputy President allegedly violated the principle of separation of powers by holding rallies that incited the public against lawful county decisions. Moreover, Sakaja accused Gachagua of using ethnic sentiments to disrupt efforts to reorganise traffic within Nairobi, particularly in relocating matatu terminals. He argued that such actions undermined the county government’s mandate and questioned the integrity of devolution in Kenya. His absence from the Senate hearing caught many by surprise, including Gachagua’s lawyer Ndegwa Njiru, who took to X social media platform to express his anticipation of cross-examining Sakaja.

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Amason Kingi Turns down DP Gachagua’s Objection to Senator Orengo Representing National Assembly

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Senate Speaker of Kenya Amason king has dismissed objection filed by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to represent the National assembly in his impeachment trial. The ruling happened 16th 0ctober 2024 amidst of Gachagua’s impeachment trial. DP Gachagua had asked for the objection through his Lawyer Ndegwa Njiru as he wanted James Orengo barred from participating from the trial on accounts of acts that he is the Governor of Siaya County. He argued that Mr. Orengo was restricted from any other gainful employment in accordance with the Article 77 of the constitution and Section 26 of the Leadership and Integrity Act as he was a full time employee. Lawyer Ndegwa also cited that during impeachment hearing of Kisii Deputy Governor Robert Monda, the senate accepted an objection regarding Sylvanus Osoro’s representation of the County assembly. According to Amason Kingi’s ruling, he said that the Deputy Speaker had not submitted any evidence to suggest the argument. The senate speaker that the counsel attempted to shift the burden of proof onto the national assembly. With this, the speaker dismissed the claims as he stated that the trials will be prejudiced with Mr. Orengo appearing at the National assembly.

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Gachagua Advised To Resign As The DP After The High Court Refuses To Stop The Tabling Of His Impeachment Motion At The Senate

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Gachagua advised to resign before the senate make its decision. The DP’s impeachment motion is currently being tabled at the senate Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is currently under pressure after the court refused to halt the tabling of his impeachment at the senate. Many are advising him to just resign willingly instead of waiting to be impeached by the senate. In ruling that refused to halt the process, Justice Mwita acknowledged that the court’s authority to intervene in cases of constitutional infringement but maintained that Parliament had the right to hear and determine the impeachment motion as part of its mandate as a state organ. “Having considered the application and argument by parties, the Constitution, and the precedent, the prayer for the grant of conservatory order is hereby declined.” Following this High Court’s decision, many and especially prominent lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi have urged Gachagua to resign before the Senate impeachment trial begins. Abdullahi warned that Gachagua has a limited window to make this decision, stressing that stepping down now could save his political future. “Hon. Rigathi Gachagua has a very short window to resign. If he wants to have a new lease of life in politics, he must resign before the impeachment motion kicks off in the Senate.’’ Last week the DP was impeached by Members of Parliament. Gachagua becomes the first DP to go through the impeachment process since the implementation of the 2010 constitution.

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