October 18, 2024
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was impeached on October 17, 2024 after two days of hearings. The motion for his impeachment was tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse in the National Assembly the previous week. 281 MPs voted in favour of the motion with only 44 voting against it. Gachagua’s lawyers walked out of the Senate hearing in protest after senators voted against extending the process. This followed Gachagua’s failure to show up for the hearing, which his lawyers said was due to him being taken ill.
53 out of 66 senators voted to uphold the charges against Gachagua, making him the first deputy president in Kenya’s history to be impeached. The charges against him included gross violation of the constitution, undermining the president, undermining devolution, irregular acquisition of wealth, publicly attacking a judge, intimidating the acting Kemsa CEO, promoting ethnicity, and insubordination to the president. The senators voted to uphold at least five charges, including:
- Ground one of shareholding
- Ground four of undermining the independence of judges
- Ground five of the National Cohesion and Integrity Act 4
- Ground six of crimes under the National Cohesion Act
- Ground nine of gross misconduct (public attacks to NIS)
The impeachment paves the way for President William Ruto to nominate and seek approval for a replacement. Gachagua is expected to challenge the outcome of the impeachment in the courts. Gachagua had previously served as a one-term MP for Mathira before becoming Ruto’s running mate in the 2022 election. Gachagua’s relationship with Ruto soured while in office, with the former DP accusing the president of betrayal.
