Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was accused by supporters of Kenyan President William Ruto of inciting ethnic animosity and undermining the government, and they initiated a motion to remove her from office on Tuesday in parliament.
In recent days, it appears that a split between Ruto and Gachagua has opened up. In addition to denying claims made by supporters of Ruto that he was instigating the violent anti-government demonstrations earlier this year, Gachagua claims he has been marginalized.
Ruto’s representative could not be immediately reached, and he has not made any public comments regarding the impeachment effort. A request for comment was not immediately answered by Gachagua’s office.
Gachagua, who is from the populated Mount Kenya region, was instrumental in organizing a sizable voting bloc that supported Ruto in the 2022 race.
However, since then, the deputy president’s influence has decreased. Ruto nominated members of the main opposition coalition to his government after protests in June and July against planned tax hikes in which more than 50 people were killed.
The resolution put out by Mwengi Mutuse, a member of parliament from Ruto’s coalition, received the signatures of over 83% of the 349 MPs in the National Assembly, well over the one-third needed to vote on it.
The Senate will hear the complaints and may form a special committee to look into them, giving Gachagua or his representative an opportunity to address the accusations, provided the move is approved by two-thirds of the lower house.
Gachagua will be removed from office if the Senate votes by at least two thirds to uphold the impeachment.
Parliamentary Speaker Moses Wetang’ula declared, “A special motion before the House presents an unprecedented constitutional moment in our democracy,” and announced that the lower house would hold a program of public participation in the impeachment process on Friday.
Gachagua is anticipated to be invited to parliament to respond to the charges on October 8, Wetang’ula said.
The motion not only charges Gachagua of inciting ethnic tensions but also claims he damaged the administration by publicly challenging Ruto.
Many members of Ruto’s coalition were incensed by Gachagua’s repeated comparison of the government to a business and his suggestion that people who supported the coalition should have priority over those who work for the government and on development projects.
Labor Minister Alfred Mutua stated on X that “tribalism and corruption have always been the curse of Africa.” “This motion… is not about politics but about saving Kenya’s soul.”
However, Macharia Munene, an academic at Nairobi’s United States International University, asserted that the government was attempting to divert attention away from its own shortcomings.
“Creating a crisis in the community is the best approach to deflect attention from these concerns of having to fix the deputy president,” Munene told Reuters.
(Reuters)
