By Andrew Kariuki

Lawyer Elisha Ongoya, representing former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, has raised concerns over the conduct of the Senate impeachment proceedings, citing what he described as restrictive timelines imposed on the defence.

Speaking at the Milimani Law Courts, Ongoya stated that prior to the trial before the Senate, a schedule had been issued outlining how the proceedings would be conducted.

“Before the trial of Rigathi Gachagua at the Senate, the Senate issued a trial schedule,” Ongoya said.

He noted that the National Assembly had presented a list of five witnesses, while Gachagua had filed only his own affidavit, effectively making him the sole witness for the defence.

“The National Assembly had given the Senate a list of 5 witnesses. The DP had submitted his affidavit alone as his own witness, so the DP’s side had one witness,” he explained.

Ongoya argued that the time allocated to the defence was disproportionately limited compared to the scope of the case.

“When the schedule came, it gave the DP’s team two hours to cross-examine the 5 witnesses of the National Assembly and 3 hours to lead the evidence-in-chief of the DP,” he said.

He maintained that such timelines raised concerns over fairness and the ability of the defence to adequately challenge the case presented against the former Deputy President.