Gachagua was impeached by the National Assembly in a historic vote on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. A total of 281 MPs voted in favour of the impeachment motion against him, while 44 legislators voted against it, and one abstained.
The 59-year-old is scheduled to appear before the Senate on Wednesday and Thursday this week to defend himself against a host of impeachment charges, which include corruption, insubordination, undermining the government, and practising ethnically divisive politics. The Senate will then vote on each of the charges and deliver its verdict.
Ahead of the "hour of reckoning" and amid a perceived general consensus among lawmakers allied with President William Ruto to remove him from office, Gachagua has turned to the Judiciary, hoping that the courts will save him from the wrath of MPs.
Speaking during a church service on Sunday, the Deputy President beseeched the Judiciary to assert the will of the people over the whims of politicians. He expressed confidence in the Kenyan Judiciary's ability to deliver justice.
'I am a believer in the independence of the Judiciary. I am certain the courts will exercise judicial authority, protect and uphold the Constitution, and honour the will of the people. Our Judiciary is efficient. They (judicial officers) protect the Constitution and the rule of law and always ensure that the people's will is respected. I have confidence that the rule of law will prevail and the people's choice will be upheld,' he told the congregation.
Gachagua, who was elected on a joint ticket with President Ruto in the August 2022 General Election, insisted that it would be unfair to remove him from office barely halfway through his five-year term.
'We elected many leaders (in the 2022 General Election). Is it possible to remove others from office? The President (William Ruto) and I were elected on one ticket. We are asking that the people's choice be respected,' he added.
Gachagua also appealed to his supporters to pray for him and for the country, urging them to remain calm regardless of the outcome of his impeachment in the Senate.
'Despite everything happening in the country, my plea is that we maintain peace and calm. God is on the throne. Let's preach and maintain peace, irrespective of the outcome. Kenya is our country,' he stated.
Late last week, Gachagua filed a petition at the High Court in Kenya seeking to block the Senate from proceeding with his impeachment trial. He claims the impeachment motion is malicious and that MPs were coerced into passing it. The petition is among at least 20 cases filed by various individuals and groups in a bid to stop what seems inevitable.
During his appearance in the National Assembly last Tuesday, Gachagua, whose impeachment has been linked to an alleged fallout with President Ruto, dismissed the charges leveled against him as "outrageous and baseless propaganda" aimed at tarnishing his reputation and unfairly ousting him from office.
He spent significant time addressing allegations of corruption, denying claims that he had amassed Ksh5 billion worth of wealth within two years through corrupt means. He insisted that the listed property belonged to his late brother, who had named him as one of the administrators of his vast estate.
If the Senate upholds any of the charges against Gachagua, he will become the first Deputy President in Kenya's history to be removed from office through impeachment.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
