Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has clarified remarks in which he appeared to suggest that some lawmakers received money during the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, saying he was referring to political lobbying and not bribery.
Junet said he did not receive any money to support Gachagua’s impeachment, insisting that he did not need financial inducement to vote for the former deputy president’s removal.
The lawmaker said his earlier comments should be understood in the context of parliamentary politics, where, he said, members lobby one another on various issues.
“I have not received any money; I didn’t need money to impeach former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua. I have to look at some things in the context of politics. Parliament all over the world, in its nature and creation, has lobbying systems; people lobby each other, lobbyists,” he said.
Junet said the lobbying he referred to did not originate from the government side. He also said Gachagua’s impeachment was a bipartisan process and that MPs had become dissatisfied with him.
“Some people who were lobbying and talking to other people so that they can impeach, that is the context I was speaking on. The lobbying was not coming from the government side. Gachagua was impeached in a bipartisan manner; people were tired of him,” Junet said.
He also said ODM lawmakers held a meeting before the impeachment motion, where they discussed Gachagua before appending their signatures.
Junet acknowledged that there was “something” going around Parliament but said he was referring to information he had received and could not conclusively identify it as money.
“I said there was something (kitu) going round; is that something money? It could be a form of tokens and can be induced in many ways. I was relating information on what I was told,” he said.
Junet had earlier alleged that money was circulating among MPs during the impeachment.
“When we were impeaching former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, there was some money that was moving around in Parliament. I will say the truth, there was something moving around,” Junet said.
“There are some people who received the money but have not constructed their homesteads. Impeachment does not come every day. If you got something from Gachagua’s impeachment, please make your homestead well.”
Junet did not name any MPs he alleged had received the money, nor did he disclose the alleged source or amount of the payments.
Gachagua had earlier alleged that MPs were paid money to process his impeachment from the Deputy President’s office.
In June, the High Court upheld Gachagua’s impeachment but, according to the court’s determination, awarded him Sh50 million in constitutional damages after finding that his rights had been violated when the Senate declined to grant an adjournment sought by his legal team.
In his determination, Justice Eric Ogola held that the Senate’s decision to proceed without allowing the requested adjournment amounted to a breach of Gachagua’s rights and said the violation warranted constitutional compensation.
“We find that Gachagua’s rights were infringed when the Senate declined to allow an adjournment,” Justice Ogola stated.
“The Court awards constitutional damages of Sh50 million to H.E. Gachagua payable by the Senate, to vindicate the Constitution, restore the dignity of the affected party, and deter future violations.”
The judge added that, although the court was awarding damages for the infringement, the ruling did not invalidate the impeachment outcome itself.
