 |
| President William Ruto (left) and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (right). |
The process to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua continues to draw attention even as over 240 MPs vow to oust the DP. It has emerged that the impeachment motion is complete, with those behind it having drawn up the grounds to remove Gachagua from office. NTV reported that the Kenya Kwanza lawmakers pushing for Gachagua’s ouster have ten grounds upon which they want Gachagua impeached. TUKO.co.ke looks at the reasons MPs want Gachagua impeached.
1. Threatening the head of state
According to the impeachment motion, Gachagua is accused of threatening President William Ruto. The second in command is accused of angrily banging the desk at a meeting with President William Ruto, who denied him KSh 8 billion. Details captured in the impeachment motion showed that the deputy president wanted Ruto to compensate him for the votes he got from the Mt Kenya region. Gachagua allegedly arrived at the amount after multiplying each vote for Ruto in the Mt Kenya region with KSh 4000. The DP was reportedly only willing to walk away from his job if the sum was matched.
2. Corruption
The mover of the impeachment motion also accuses the deputy president of engaging in corruption since his election to office in 2022. According to the motion, Gachagua is accused of acquiring KSh 5.7 billion in two years, yet he earns KSh 12 million yearly. The mover argues that the deputy president should have accumulated KSh 24 million as per the benefits provided by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.
3. Abuse of office
In the 40-page impeachment motion against Gachagua, the DP is accused of allegedly diverting material allocated to the construction of the Malindi-Kilifi Highway to the construction of a private road in Kilifi leading to a hotel linked to him.
4. Promoting tribalism
The deputy president is further accused of spreading tribalism in the country by allegedly promoting the affairs of the Mt Kenya region. Gachagua’s ‘one man, one vote, one shilling’ narrative is also believed to be a huge promoter of tribalism, hence becoming a factor in his impeachment drive.
5. Sponsoring violent Gen Z protest
Gachagua’s opponents are also accusing him of sponsoring the recent Gen Z protests that turned violent. Recently, the deputy president criticised the decision by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to charge his allies over the recent Gen Z protests. On Thursday, September 26, DCI recommended several charges against MPs for Embakasi North James Gakuya and Embakasi Central Benjamin Gathiru Mejja Donk. According to Gachagua, charging his allies, including three staff members, was one way of creating grounds for his looming impeachment.
7. Threatening, intimidating and publicly condemning state officers, MPs
In the impeachment motion, Gachagua is accused of allegedly threatening, intimidating and publicly condemning state officers. According to the motion, Gachagua is accused of having publicly condemned the Director of National Intelligence Service (NIS) Noordin Haji. A section of Mt Kenya MPs accused the second in comment of inciting the electorates against them. Other accusations levelled against Gachagua include leaking state secrets and opposing key Cabinet decisions.
by Amos Khaemba
