Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
A day after the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua painted a strained relationship with his boss President William Ruto, sources within the presidency and the National Assembly have hinted to the Nation Africa that his ouster plot is a done deal, and a matter of when, not if.
Multiple sources privy to the latest development revealed that senior State House officials have told the Deputy President ‘to do his worst,’ as the political falling out escalates amid growing calls to initiate an impeachment motion against him.
Nation has also established that a five-member committee of lawyers, with representatives from the presidency and some critical ministries, has been set to come up tasked to draft the grounds for impeachment motion to whip MPs to append the one third signatures (117 of the 349 MPs) needed to table such a motion, even before the House begins debate on it.
The impeachment motion, the plan goes, is to be tabled by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah.
“We have working on the grounds for impeachment. There is no space for a tribe chief in our governance. All Kenyans are equal and this goes cont5rary to our constitution,” disclosed Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa.
“This matter is so serious that we are eyeing marshalling two thirds (233) of members to support the motion before being introduced in the House. My candid advice to the DP is to resign to avoid the impeachment process which is inevitable and by Christmas he will be out of office,” said Mr Barasa.
He revealed that according to the coalition, the DP is in violation of the grounds cited in the construction to warrant an impeachment.
Mr Ichung’wah also touched on the matter on Saturday, September 21, saying that any member of Parliament was free to table an impeachment motion against Mr Gachagua, which he insisted would be considered on merit.
No member of the Cabinet, Mr Ichung’wah said, was immune to such an ouster plan.
While he insisted that he was not aware of any such Motion now, Mr Ichung’wah called out the Deputy President, saying he had planned to use the fear of political instability to threaten MPs not to consider such a motion.
“If any MP brings an impeachment motion against any leader, whether the president, deputy president or any other state officer, we shall give it a consideration based on merit. If they merit, the House will debate and make a decision through voting," Mr Ichung’wah told journalists at Pap Nyadiel in Alego Usonga Siaya County.
“Nobody, not even the president or his deputy should ever imagine they can intimidate MPs from doing their work they ought to do. Impeachment motions are part of our oversight of state officers, and the DP is no exception, so is the president,” he said.
Mr Ichung’wah castigated Mr Gachagua, saying he was seeking public sympathy after failing to champion the Kenya Kwanza agenda.
“It seems it’s only the DP who has been taking about his own impeachment. He seems to be calling for it and I don’t know. Or he might be imagining that if it comes, he can incite one region of our country against the others and against MPs. That is the fear he has been trying to sell. That is why I have been saying, I have put my chest forward so that I defend the rights of all MPs as their leader,” Mr Ichung’wah said.
He rubbished comments by the DP that any move to remove him — which he said could only come from the President himself—could destabilise the country as baseless and attempts at fear-mongering.
“If you keenly listened to him yesterday, you realised that he passed a veiled threat to the people of Kenya that an impeachment against him will bring political instability in the country. What he actually meant was that he would cause political instability akin to what happened on June 25th, 2024 if he is impeached,” Mr Ichung’wah said referring to the day peaceful youth-led protests turned violent and Parliament was invaded, and a section of it burnt.
Mr Ichung’wah challenged Mr Gachagua to speak out and indicate whether he is planning to contest the presidency in 2027 or not.
“He has not told us whether he is a candidate, however, there are all indications that he is planning to contest the seat. I have heard him trying to make friendship with the likes of Kalonzo Musyoka and others. He is at liberty. However, we want him to focus on delivering on the manifesto of Kenya Kwanza first,” said Mr Ichung’wah.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, a President’s ally, said: “The truth will soon emerge when the real truthful man steps forward. Those who falsely claim to be truthful are greatest liars.”
According to those in the know, at the last meeting of the Inaugural Cabinet, before it was dissolved, President Ruto confronted his deputy and had a one-hour discussion.
“The boss told the deputy off and expressed his displeasure with his conduct. He told him he has betrayed his truth,” disclosed a source with the presidency aware of the talks.
Mr Gachagua referred to such a meeting in his Citizen TV interview on Friday, September 20, but said it was when his boss told him of his planned rapprochement with opposition leader Raila Odinga, whose five top Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party officials have since joined the new Cabinet.
President Ruto named to his Cabinet ODM deputy party leaders Ali Hassan Joho (Mining) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives Development), party chairman John Mbadi (National Treasury), National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi (Energy) and member, National Elections Board Beatrice Askul Moe (East African Community). They have all had to resign from their roles to take up the CS post.
During the interview with Citizen TV, Mr Gachagua opened up about a plot to impeach him even as he revealed that such a motion can only come to Parliament and can only pass upon the express approval of his boss, President Ruto.
He laid bare the power struggle that has rocked the two-year-old Kenya Kwanza administration, talking about plans to frustrate his involvement in government function.
He said he had since confronted President Ruto about the scheme to kick him out of office, a claim he said the President had denied.
“There is no motion of impeachment against the deputy president that can find itself on the floor of the house unless the President gives a nod. Nobody else has the capacity to push it apart from the President,” said Mr Gachagua.
The face of the anti-Gachagua team in parliament is led by Mr Ichung’wah and Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri while that of pro-Gachagua is led by MPs James Gakuya (Embakasi North) and his Embakasi Central Benjamin Gathiru MejjaDonk.
“The President has indicated he is fed up of the blackmail by his deputy and told him to do his worst,” disclosed another source within the presidency.
The source added that the president had expressed his reservations with the conduct of his DP after allegedly snubbing some of his public engagements, coming late and even giving a public address in Mombasa after his state address in the aftermath of the breach in Parliament.
The removal of a deputy president through impeachment is guided by Article 150 of the Constitution and National Assembly Sixth Edition Standing Orders 64 on the same.
The grounds include gross violation of the Constitution or of any other laws, where there are serious reasons for believing that the President has committed a crime under national or international law or for gross misconduct.
Once the motion has been supported by 116 MPs to be introduced in the House and backed by 233 after debate, the Speaker shall inform the Speaker of the Senate of that resolution within two days and the DP shall continue to perform the functions of the office pending the outcome of the proceedings required by this Article.
“Within seven days after receiving notice of a resolution from the Speaker of the National Assembly, senate speaker shall convene a meeting of the senate to hear charges against the DP and the Senate, by resolution, may appoint a special committee comprising eleven of its members to investigate the matter.”
The House shall appoint a special committee to investigate the matter and report to the Senate within ten days whether it finds the particulars of the allegations against the DP to have been substantiated.
“The Deputy President shall have the right to appear and be represented before the special committee during its investigations. If the special committee reports that the particulars of any allegation against the DP–have not been substantiated, further proceedings shall not be taken in respect of that allegation or have been substantiated, the Senate shall, after according the DP an opportunity to be heard, vote on the impeachment charges.”
If at least two-thirds of 67 senators vote to uphold any impeachment charge, the DP shall cease to hold office.
