The Senate upheld five out of the 11 grounds in the historic vote taken on Thursday night.
Fifty-four senators voted to impeach Gachagua on the first count of gross violation of the Constitution, while 13 voted against his ouster. The charges under this ground included accusations of dividing Kenyans along ethnic lines. The National Assembly cited several instances where he compared the government to a company, suggesting that certain regions hold more shares than others.
"Pursuant to Article 145(7) and 151(b)(2) of the Constitution and Standing Order 78(8) of the Senate, the Senate has resolved to remove from office, by impeachment, His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua, the Deputy President of Kenya. Accordingly, His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua ceases to hold office," Senate Speaker Amason Kingi declared.
The Kenyan Senate required a two-thirds majority, which equates to at least 45 out of the 67 senators, to successfully impeach the Deputy President on any single charge.
Gachagua becomes the first Deputy President in Kenya's history to be removed from office through an impeachment process. The impeachment bars him from ever holding public office.
The Senate proceeded with the impeachment trial despite Deputy President Gachagua falling ill and being hospitalized, according to his lawyers.
The legal team had requested an adjournment of the trial until at least Tuesday, October 22, 2024, but the Senate voted to continue with the proceedings. In protest, Gachagua's lawyers walked out of the Senate.
The motion of impeachment was tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse in the National Assembly on October 1, 2024.
Two hundred and eighty-one lawmakers voted in favour of the motion to remove Gachagua, while 44 opposed it, with only one member of the House abstaining. The motion required support from 233 MPs, representing two-thirds of the total 349 members, to pass through the House.
More to follow...
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/kenyan-senate-upholds-deputy-president-gachagua-s-impeachment
