The political temperatures are set to rise this week, as Kenya Kwanza MPs are set to table an impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua this week.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa last week said that he will table the motion this week, stating that he has gathered enough signatures to send the second-in-command home. Already, a censure motion has been tabled in the Senate.
Kenya Kwanza MPs pushing for Gachagua’s impeachment say that Gachagua has been undermining President Ruto, and accuse him of having a role in the recent anti-government protests that saw at least 50 youths killed and hundreds injured.
In recent months, the relationship between the once bosom buddies President William Ruto and Deputy President Gachagua has soared, with Gachagua taking Ruto head-on in his recent Mount Kenya tour.
DP Gachagua’s allies have been on the receiving end, with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) recommending the prosecution of four allies of the Deputy President. DCI accuses the four of funding the recent protests, which started as protests against Finance Bill tax hikes.
However, Gachagua has downplayed the DCI investigation as a “political tool”, which they campaigned against during the 2022 General Election.
The threshold for impeaching the Deputy President
The Constitution of Kenya 2010 gives the Office of the Deputy President security of tenure, and cannot be fired by the President.
The Deputy President can only be removed from office through an impeachment motion tabled in the National Assembly. The motion must garner the support of at least two-thirds of MPs, equivalent to 233 MPs for it to sail through.
Kenya Kwanza MPs supporting the impeachment motion are confident of mobilizing enough signatures to out Gachagua. Earlier this month, 48 MPs from the Mount Kenya region, where Gachagua comes from, shifted their support from Gachagua to the Interior CS, Kithure Kindiki.
Kenya Kwanza parliamentarians are also counting on the support of ODM MPs in parliament. President Ruto recently entered into a political deal with ODM leader, Raila Odinga, who is seeking to be the next African Union Chairperson.
Gachagua’s intensified campaigns
As MPs plan an ouster motion against Gachagua, the Deputy President has intensified campaigns to the grassroots. Speaking in Ngurubani town, Kirinyaga, during the weekend, Gachagua vowed not to resign, asking President Ruto to let him do his job.
“President Ruto should stop telling MPs to impeach me. If he no longer needs Mt Kenya votes, he should inform us. I was elected by the people of Kenya together with the President and I’m not going anywhere” he stated.
Gachagua asked President Ruto to stop undermining him, reminding him they were elected by the people to serve them for five years.
“President Ruto should allow me to work with him for the remaining three years. In 2027, if he so wishes to drop me, we shall respect his decision,” he added.
If the impeachment motion sails through, Gachagua is expected to mount a political and legal comeback. In the past, impeached governors have used the Kenyan courts to overturn their impeachment, giving them more time in office.
Aftermath of the impeachment
Gachagua and his allies have warned of serious consequences if he is removed from office, warning MPs who support his impeachment to forget their political seats in 2027.
For President Ruto, the rising political temperatures from the impeachment debate pose another headache for a regime struggling to build public confidence among the electorate.
He must make a political decision on whether to save his renegade deputy or face the political consequences that come with an impeached deputy.